The Ancient History of Solaris
by Sache8
Summary: When Eugene is kidnapped, Rapunzel rushes off to save him. Turns out, Mother Gothel wasn't the only one who knew about the sun's gift. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

****Title**: **The Ancient History of Solaris**  
><strong>Author: <strong>**Sache8**  
><strong>Fandom<strong>: **Tangled**  
><strong>Pairing<strong>: **Rapunzel/Eugene**  
><strong>Word Count<strong>: **28,000  
><strong>RatingWarnings**: Teen, one brief scene of mild torture (cutting, burning)  
><strong>Beta<strong>: Grav

**Summary:** When Eugene is kidnapped, Rapunzel rushes off to save him. Turns out, Mother Gothel wasn't the only one who knew about the sun's gift.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

It all began when Eugene fell through the floor. The same day that Rapunzel finally worked up the nerve to return to the tower, he found a way to keep her coming back indefinitely.

"This was here the whole time?"

Rapunzel was tying her hair back with a kerchief. Her hair was just past her shoulders now. Finishing with the knot, she tugged it firmly and handed a second kerchief to her friend Griet. "Yes."

Griet, who had been Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting since her third week in the palace, looked around, impressed. "And just think," she said, "all that time you were just itching for something new to read."

Rapunzel laughed. "Come on. The lanterns on the walls still work, but most of them need oil. We'll get them lit and then we can get started."

After briefly demonstrating for Griet how the antiquated lanterns functioned, Rapunzel rolled up her sleeves and got to work, reflecting on the events that had brought her to this morning's agenda.

It was supposed to be a peace-making journey—one final visit to her childhood home to lay her past to rest and look to the future unencumbered. However unjust and chafing her confinement to the tower had been, Rapunzel _had_ been happy there. She had been ill at ease for over a year, thinking about the disarray in which she and Eugene had left the place: the blood and broken mirror, Mother Gothel's clothing and other remains left unattended at the base. She would have no real rest until she could stop thinking about it.

Under the guise of a private hunting trip, she and Eugene and her parents had traveled to the tower and passed a somber day accomplishing all that Rapunzel wanted in the way of closure. They cleaned the tower, buried what they could salvage of Gothel's remains (mostly what little of her clothing had not been absconded by the birds), and gathered those mementos of Rapunzel's childhood she wished to take back with her to the palace. Her father had been keen to take the walls themselves for the sake of the paintings, but Rapunzel managed to satiate him with a small crate of works on canvas that were stored up in the rafters.

Finally, they made ready to leave. As they were making their final descent down the rickety wooden staircase— so steep it might as well have been a ladder— Eugene slipped and fell the last few feet to the floor, and then the half-rotten floorboards gave way and he fell through those too.

After a heart-stopping moment in which they determined him to be winded, but alive, the soldiers lowered themselves into the dark subterranean room to pull him out again. In the process got a better look at what was down there.

It was a library.

Rapunzel wasn't sure that was its primary purpose, but that was certainly part of it. The long, low room was roughly hewn from the clay and stone beneath the tower, with much of the tower's heavy foundation giving it support and structure. Wooden shelves and cases lined the walls, all heavily-oiled to protect against the damp air from the river nearby. Each of the shelves and cubbies were bursting with dusty scrolls and volumes.

For Rapunzel, it had been like finding some secret lost city. And she had been on top of it the entire time.

Griet managed to get the last lamp working in the main chamber and promptly sneezed, as if to celebrate the occasion. "Okay, that's done. Now what?"

Rapunzel tossed her a can of furniture polish and a rag. "Now, we clean." Her eyes lit up and she smiled widely. "And if we finish early enough, we start cataloguing."

Griet looked at the can of polish dubiously. "You do realize it's a lovely, not-too-hot, sunny autumn day out there, don't you? You want to stay down here in this musty cellar cataloguing books?"

"_And_ scrolls," Rapunzel defended.

"I'm just saying, for someone who spent eighteen years indoors, it's odd to me that you want to be in here."

Rapunzel glanced down at her own can of polish, torn. "I know, I know, but— I just can't let this go, Griet. There are still so many unanswered questions, and I think this place might hold the answers."

"Answers to what?"

"Who built this tower, and why? How did Gothel know about the sun's gift? How did she know the song? I know who I am now and I'm _still_ not satisfied about my past. Anyway, you don't think it's at all exciting?"

"Sure. For a baking hot day in midsummer when a place like this would be a relief."

"You're right. I'm sorry, Griet. I'm going to stay, but you're welcome to go enjoy the beautiful day if you like. Maximus can see me safely back to the palace."

"You know it doesn't work like that, Your Highness. You're the Princess. If you say we're going to spend the day polishing bookcases, then bookcases it is. Only there's just one slight problem."

"What's that?"

"I, um, have never polished anything before."

"Really?"

"At some point you are going to have to stop being surprised. I'm the daughter of a baron. Other people polish _my_ furniture."

"Yes. Of course. Well, it's easy. I'll show you."

She gave her friend a brief tutorial in the correct method of dusting and polishing the furniture—in this case taking special care to avoid damaging the books and scrolls— and the two girls set to work again. They chatted every so often, but there were gaps of companionable silence too. Before long, Rapunzel found herself humming.

"You miss him, don't you?"

Rapunzel halted, and then flushed. "It's only been a day."

"But you still miss him."

"Yes. But I'm worried about him."

"He's your fiancé. He needs to prove himself worthy of being a prince." Griet's tone was one of absolute conviction. As affable as she was, she still clung to skepticism about one Eugene Fitzherbert's appropriateness for the role of consort to the princess. "Making him the ambassador to Talvania was a good choice on your father's part."

Through her nerves, Rapunzel couldn't help but giggle. "Ambassador Eugene." She shook her head. "Oh, how can he help but get in trouble?" She sighed, and shook her head, choosing to focus on clearing ancient dust from ancient bookshelves, and try not to worry too much about what— and whom— she could not control.

* * *

><p>The problem was Eugene did not understand hand signals in Chameleon.<p>

"This is all your fault," he said to Pascal reprovingly. "I knew we should have taken the northern road."

Pascal gave him a Look, which Eugene chose to ignore. Instead, he turned back to the fork in the road and scratched his head.

"Sir?"

Eugene winced. The palace guards had been calling him by this honorific for over a year now, and he still wasn't used to it. "Connelly, I told you. Drop the 'sir'. Especially out here in the middle of nowhere. You won't get in trouble, I promise."

"Yes, sir."

"What is it?"

"Aren't you _from_ Talvania?"

"Technically, yes. But I haven't been back in a long time."

He hadn't been back since he'd run away at the age of sixteen. It wasn't prudent, after all, to set up a new life, a new name, and a new profession in a place where too many people knew all of the real ones.

"All right. My keen sense of direction is telling me we are way too far south. Let's go this way." He gestured to the right fork.

He mounted the patient, somewhat vapid horse they had provided. Eugene missed Max. Journeys from one kingdom to another were long and grueling, and riding Max was nonstop entertainment. Had the king been the pompous sort, not even he could have managed as much brittle condescension as that horse. Max's every movement seemed to scream reminders that Eugene, former enemy of the state, was receiving the utmost in magnanimous treatment. Naturally, Eugene could not resist the temptation to provoke his friend's sensibilities. This often resulted in a bruised tailbone or a really terrible haircut, but he wouldn't give it up for the world.

Unfortunately, Max had lately met Sylvia, a pretty gray mare who was a favorite of the queen, and then Sylvia had been discovered to be in a delicate condition, and now Max was no fun whatsoever. He had flatly refused to come with Eugene on this trip. So Eugene was stuck with a dull, docile beast named Nigellus… and Pascal.

"What is it?" He asked. The croaker was croaking at him emphatically. "No, we're not going that way. I listened to you last time—heaven only knows why— and look where it's gotten us! What do you know about geography, anyway? You were born, what, three feet from Rapunzel's tower?"

Pascal glared and turned a burnt orange color.

"Hue at me all you like. You're wasting your pigment."

Eugene spurred Nigellus forward on the chosen route. Truth be told, he wasn't too disappointed about the delays in their journey. There were a number of very specific reasons that Eugene Fitzherbert did not want to be on this trip.

One: He had to be apart from Rapunzel.

Two: He might screw everything up and Rapunzel's parents would decide he needed to be elsewhere permanently.

Three: It was… well, _home_.

"I don't suppose you ever had to go back and visit the land of your birth after a long, self-imposed exile, did you?" he asked Pascal.

Pascal crossed his forelegs and looked away.

"Fine. I'll just talk. I mean, going home would be one thing. But so publicly? Expected to do an important job like this? That's no fun. It is, in fact, quite nerve-wracking." He looked down at his right hand, where his finger chafed at the weight of a heavy, embossed ring bearing the royal seal of Corona. It was a mark of his new position. Funny to think two years ago he might have considered trying to steal it.

"You'll do fine, sir."

Twisting around, Eugene saw that Connelly was riding dutifully some distance behind. Connelly shrugged. "It's okay. Most people forget I'm around. I would probably talk to the lizard too."

"Chameleon," said Eugene automatically as he turned to face forward again. Then he winced. Pascal smirked.

"You miss the princess, don't you?"

"It's only been a day."

"It's okay. I miss her too."

Eugene's eyebrows rose and he half-turned to give the man a bit closer scrutiny. "You do, do you?"

"Yes."

There was nothing but fresh-faced sincerity in the young guard's expression. He certainly seemed oblivious to the cautious suspicion that Eugene was throwing at him.

Mollified, Eugene lowered his shoulders. How could he blame the man, after all? The entire kingdom was enamored of their Princess. Eugene was only the first in a very long line of people to be taken in by Rapunzel's bright, effervescent passion and her honest kindness.

It had changed him.

He was well and truly changed.

Changed as if a panther had transformed into a kitten. Changed like a hurricane calming to a pleasant headwind. He really should have had the professional dignity to be more annoyed about it. He would have to think of new ways to get his revenge on her. Already he'd taught her how to pick locks. Naturally, she was quite good at it.

The afternoon waned, warm for early September, and Eugene began to find himself nodding off in the saddle. This was bad for travel, because Nigellus seemed to think it was cause to stop and philosophize about rocks along the path or stray branches overhead. Connelly kept hastening his own horse forward and prodding _both_ of them awake.

By the time the sun began to set, Eugene knew that the new tactic was not going to earn them as much progress as he'd hoped, but his patience was finally rewarded when they reached the boundary marker between Corona and Talvania.

"Hah!" he said to the chameleon, pointing at it in triumph. "I got us this far, now didn't I?"

Eugene studied the forest road on the other side of the marker, sobering. It looked more or less exactly like the stretch of forest on the Corona side. Funny, how much a wooden pole and a board could mean to a man. He took a deep breath and dismounted Nigellus. Tentatively, he put one booted foot over the line and into his homeland. He waited, wondering if something might explode or fanfare or perhaps stir ominously. Nothing happened except the growling of someone's stomach.

Connelly was looking between Eugene and the boundary marker apologetically. "We haven't eaten since midday," he said. "Should we make camp for the night?"

"Just a little further," Eugene urged. "I'd just as soon have someone else cook our food tonight."

Darkness began to fall as they hastened onward. By the time they cantered into the border village, only a ribbon of light was left on the western horizon, and that was only sometimes visible through the thick trees and undergrowth of the forest.

Eugene pulled a heaving Nigellus to a stop and considered their options. There were two taverns. It wasn't likely he'd ever been to either of them. He'd spent most of his childhood in Talvania's capital city, and fled for Corona from a completely different direction.

"Let's try the Broken Harp," he said, eyeing the faded tavern signs. Of the two, the Broken Harp looked far more lively, and the light pouring from the windows beckoned with warm invitation. Despite, his larger trepidation, Eugene was grinning as his feet hit the ground. The capital city, Tallus, was still at least two days' ride from here and he hadn't gotten to eat without silverware in over a year.

When Connelly dismounted, Eugene handed him Nigellus' reins. "I'll go get some rooms and stable space for the horses." He took two steps toward the tavern door and stopped up short. "Oh, and Connelly?"

"Yes, sir."

"Um, could we pretend we're just normal guys in there? You know, not tell them we're ambassadors and whatnot?"

Connelly frowned "But I'm not an ambassador."

If Max had been there, Eugene would not have been able to resist giving him a longsuffering look. "I know that. You know what I mean. You can still be Connelly, but I don't want you to call me Eugene. Or 'sir'," he added hastily. "Or 'ambassador'"

"What should I call you?"

Taking off his ring and putting it his pocket, Eugene grinned.

* * *

><p>Rapunzel and Griet worked until their shoulders ached and all their food stash was gone. The afternoon was in its death throes when the lady-in-waiting finally insisted that they climb out of from underground and rendezvous with their escort.<p>

"Soon they'll come looking for you, and anyway, I want you back home with enough time to clean off all that grime." Griet looked with distaste at the thin film of dust and dried sweat on Rapunzel's face and hands, then examined her own contribution with even more dislike. She paid special attention to the grit under her fingernails. "Ugh," she added.

"All right," Rapunzel conceded. She looked around. They place looked much nicer and even smelled a bit less musty, though she, for one, would have been loath to completely banish that wonderful smell of old things long forgotten, waiting to be rediscovered.

"When will we be returning? Next spring, I hope?"

Rapunzel wrinkled her nose at her friend. "Of course not, silly. In a few days, I hope. But I have a full day of lessons tomorrow."

"Thank goodness. What's on the agenda?"

"History. Politics. Elocution. Dancing."

"Excellent."

Rapunzel wandered over to the largest bookcase and ran a hand over the heavy volumes. The biggest was so huge, that standing it would likely reach her knees, and she could barely span the width of it with the full spread of her fingers. The heavy leather that bound it had been dyed a bold red, that once might have been quite bright, but time had faded into a darker, blackish red, like a garnet.

It was too important and mysterious to resist.

"Help me with this," she said, calling out to Griet. "I want to take it with us."

To her credit, Griet did not complain. Much. It took the combined efforts of both girls to get the tome— it almost seemed insufficient to dub the thing a mere _book_— out the door and up the ladder. This much accomplished, they brought their horses over, and Rapunzel managed to hold it awkwardly in her lap with one arm until they reunited with the palace guard who had been patrolling the area around the tower all day. For once, she was only too happy to be the princess and let them do the heavy lifting.

Eugene's absence was sorely felt when they finally arrived back at the palace. By that time, Rapunzel was ready to keel over with sleep, and it was all that Griet and Hannah, Rapunzel's personal maid, could do to get her washed, get some food in her, and get her into bed. Even through her stupor, her mind focused on two things— the big red book, which had been taken to her room and set up on a sturdy pedestal next to her desk, and the fact that she missed her usual goodnight kiss from Eugene so very much.

She only slept for about two hours. Then her eyes snapped open. She gasped slightly and looked immediately over at the book, which sat innocuously next to the bed, right where she left it, somehow more mysterious and irresistible with the moonlight streaming through the glass double doors of her balcony to rest on its cover.

Rapunzel scrambled out of bed and padded across the rugs and flagstones of her chamber in her bare feet to stand before the book. Reverently, she brushed her hand over the cover. There was a symbol embossed into the center, a symbol that bore a strong resemblance to the royal sun of Corona. Rapunzel bit her lip and glanced around, checking to see that no one was still stirring who might disrupt (and then scold) her. But for the usual palace draft, nothing stirred. The fire was expertly stoked, meaning even Hannah had taken leave of her duties and gone to her own chamber a couple of levels below.

Rapunzel took the candelabra from the desk and took it over to the lamp on the wall, lighting all the candles and brought it back to the desk. She got a shawl, some slippers, and a ribbon to tie her hair back. Then she pulled her chair close and slowly, carefully, opened the cover.

"Oh, bother."

Even though she knew Pascal was miles away helping Eugene, she addressed him out of a lifetime of habit. He was still her favorite confidant, no matter where he happened to be.

"I can't read this, Pascal."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **This is my first "Tangled" fic. And guess what! It's actually completely written and betaed, so I'll be updating quite regularly. This fic was written as part of the HetBigBang 2011 challenge at livejournal. Go check out the website at hetbigbang(dot)weebly(dot)com. There's artwork too, including three illustrations from this story, two of which are from this very chapter!

This story sort of comprises a story I came up with to answer all of my storyteller's nosy questions after the movie. I wanted to keep myself uninfluenced by any popular trends in the fandom, so I haven't actually read much Tangled fanfic (and none at all since last winter, with one teensy exception). For example, I imagine there's some debate as to whether or not Rapunzel's hair every grew back out, because my friends and I have discussed it. My personal opinion, it did grow back out. Rapunzel was always one of my favorite fairy tales as a child because I have never cut my hair, and I always related to her. So, for me, Rapunzel without long hair just isn't Rapunzel, magical or not. :-)

FYI, Griet is pronounced like "greet".


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

><p>For three glorious and thoroughly irresponsible days, Flynn Rider lived again.<p>

In that time, Eugene discovered that for a palace guard so seemingly loyal and unassuming, Connelly knew a rather staggering number of tawdry tavern ballads, and Nigellus was a completely different horse when he uncovered a barrel of fermented hops lurking in the corner of the stables. That particular adventure was the reason they had to extend their journey by a whole day. Though he didn't mind the delay in the slightest, Eugene had the presence of mind to send a message ahead to the royal court of Talvania to let them know they would be a day late.

He cut short their travel on the fifth day in the early evening, choosing to stop in the large, thriving town of Muntz instead of continuing to the city proper, which was just over the next couple of hills.

Unlike the first village, Muntz was a town that Eugene knew very well. Here, he grew more cautious and far more sober.

Muntz had a full-fledged inn. When they arrived, Eugene once again instructed Connelly to use his pseudonym. Leaving the guard to get them settled for the evening, Eugene slipped away into the evening streets.

He headed north up the main avenue. There was plenty of light and plenty of noise. The barber was shaking out his drop cloths and putting up with the usual irate tirade from the passer-by who didn't like having a whole sheet of hair clippings blown into their faces. The butcher was pulling his shutters closed and locking his door.

The baker was passing the daily leftovers to the city orphans.

Eugene stopped short, his throat tightening dangerously. Something surged inside him, a wave of moments and feelings from another time and place, a different boy.

So Braddock was still alive then. Good.

"Off ye get then, go on. And make sure you save enough for your sisters!"

The tall, bone-thin man shouting after the last of the scurrying orphans seemed the exact opposite in figure one would expect of a baker. He was all elbows and knees and cheekbones. His knees were so bony, in fact, that not even the long brown apron he wore over his shirt and trousers could disguise their protuberant nature. Every step he took betrayed them through the fabric, the whole length of which was doused in flour.

Braddock sighed and took off his white baker's cap, wiping his brow wearily. Eugene looked around, took a few long strides across the street, and held his breath as the man spotted him out of the corner of his eye and looked up to investigate.

For a moment, the baker just stared in shock. Then his face split into a wide, welcome smile that overpowered his entire face.

"Eugene, my boy! I never thought I'd see your scrawny bones around here ever again!"

Eugene had no opportunity to reply. He was instantly pulled into a giant hug. It was rather like being embraced by a starving bear. He couldn't breath until Braddock deigned to release him.

"Ooof!" he exhaled when his captor finally relinquished. "Nice to see you too, Braddock."

"What in the name of all blazes are you doing here, boy?"

"That's a long story."

"I have a batch of hot cross buns in the oven. Come in, come in. Tell it to me. Tell me proper."

"Okay, but I can't stay long. My friend will be wondering where I got to." He followed Braddock indoors, through the bakery shop.

Braddock chuckled and began closing the shutters and locking up. "This friend," he said. "A lady friend?" He glanced over at Eugene with his giant grin.

Eugene shook his head. "No, just a comrade." He shuffled. "There, um, _is_ a lady friend waiting, though. I hope. Much further away."

"Well then, hurry, hurry. Let's hear all about it."

After the autumn chill, the back room of the bakery was full of welcome warmth. Eugene sat in the chair against the wall and watched the baker at his trade, crouching his tall frame comically to squint into a blazing oven, then nod and mutter to himself and begin pulling piping hot cross buns one by one out onto the nearby counter with a breadboard.

"Are you still getting visitors from the city?" Eugene asked.

Braddock grunted. "Not as many as before." He glanced over for a second. "Not since the last of your little gang finally grew up."

There were bakers aplenty in the capital. But none who saved their evening scraps for hungry orphans. Eugene had discovered Braddock's kindness when he was nine years old, the first time he'd tried to run away. In addition to a belly full of slightly stale cinnamon raisin bread, little orphan Eugene had received a cot in the kitchen of Braddock's home. The next day, when the orphan master's son had finally caught up, Eugene's heart was happy enough that he took his beating stoically and willingly returned to his friends.

After that, he sneaked away at least once a week for an evening treat, and he taught the others how to do the same. For a healthy, adventurous boy, the journey to Muntz only took about an hour and a half of running, there and back again.

"Have you seen any of them?"

Another grunt. "Mmmn. Tansy's washing dishes at the Corncobb inn. Good girl, that. She keeps that brother of hers out of trouble as best she can."

"Rhodri?"

"He got work as a groundskeeper at the palace. Goodness only knows how. He even travels with that ridiculous caravan to the summer palace every year. Lot more gardens to look after there."

"And in the winter?"

"Odd jobs here and there. I try to recommend work whenever I hear of any, sometimes here in Muntz. He's the sort to drink up too much of his sister's wages or fall in with riffraff if he's idle for long. Sometimes I think he's trying to be you."

"Me?"

Braddock came over and plopped the plate of buns on the table and sat down opposite Eugene. "Oh, don't think your friends were ignorant of your renowned exploits, boy-o." He narrowed his eyes. "Or should I say Flynn Rider?"

Eugene blanched.

"Oh, don't think it was going to be all smiles and pastries for you. I'm of a mind to cuff your ears. Would, too, save it's the end of the day and I'm too tired. I thought you knew better."

"I did know better. I just chose to disregard my knowledge." Eugene shrugged and reached for a bun.

Braddock slapped his hand away. "Not yet. We're waiting on Lila."

Eugene froze. "Lila's coming?"

"She takes tea with me in the evening. Since her mother passed a couple of years back, it saves the trouble of cleaning up _two_ kitchens. Speaking on which, I should put the tea on."

"I'm sorry to hear about your wife. Um, Braddock, thank you for the hospitality., but I really think I need to be making myself scarce. My friend—"

"— will keep a while. Don't think I don't know what you're about. Master thief of the provinces, trying to hide from a baker's daughter. Shame on you. Anyways you haven't told me this long story of yours."

"I'm not sure where to start."

"Start it as dramatically as possible. You have a flair for that."

"All right. Well. Let's see." Eugene shifted nervously in his chair. "Most dramatic... ahh!"

He cleared his throat. "This is the story of how I died."

Braddock was unimpressed. He rolled his eyes while he pulled tealeaves out of a canister. "That so?"

"And also the story of how I became the future Prince of Corona," Eugene added in a rush.

This time the baker snorted. "I like the first opening better. More believable."

"Well. They're both true. Braddock, that girl back home. She's the lost princess of Corona. I found her. By accident. And then... she found me."

Braddock absorbed this, his manner suddenly serious in response to Eugene's tone. He finished with the preparations for tea and the sat down, wiping his hands on his floury apron. He regarded Eugene gravely. "We had heard the lost princess was found, but little else. This does sound like a tale worth the telling. You're going to marry her?"

"Yes. I proposed last month. She accepted and for whatever reason, her parents have given their blessing. I love her, Braddock."

Braddock's expression was soft and joyful. He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped short at a movement out of the corner of his eye. Both men turned to see a tall girl with long, dark blond hair and a wide mouth, glowering with all her might at Eugene.

"What is _he_ doing here?"

* * *

><p>"This language is ancient Solaran, Your Highness, the ancestor of our own language and those of most of the surrounding kingdoms. As you've undoubtedly learned in your history lessons, they were once all joined as part of an empire called Solaris. The language hasn't been spoken colloquially in nearly seven-hundred years, and its use in academia is waning as well. The discipline of studying ancient Solaran is one that few choose to pursue, though there are still scholars who take up the challenge."<p>

"Are you one of them, Master Thaddeus?" Rapunzel asked, trying not to lean forward too much. She didn't want to unnerve her tutor. He was already on edge from the ignominy of being in the princess's private royal bedchamber. Rapunzel however, had insisted. She didn't want to drag the book any further than she absolutely needed to.

Master Thaddeus straightened his spectacles. "No. Beyond a few trifling verbs and cognates, I am not."

"Is there anyone who _is_? Anyone who could help me?"

He pondered a moment. "If I recall correctly, Duke Herrington was a student of ancient Solaran. I couldn't speak to his fluency. When I taught at the university, I only had him as a student on passing occasions."

It was Rapunzel's turn to ponder. "Duke Herrington," she repeated. She spoke the name with great consideration, as though it were the key to a secret chamber, full of potential. "I think I remember him. He's far down the succession, but he often attends court."

"That's because he's often trying to gain special attention and favor with the royal family," put in Griet from where she stood by the window some paces away. "And something tells me he's just about to get all the attention he wants and more."

"I think you're right, Griet," Rapunzel declared, ignoring her friend's wry manner as she always did. "I will ask my parents for an audience with Duke Herrington as soon as possible."

"All right, but we're not having it in your bedchamber. You're going to have to move that lodestone down to one of the public spaces."

"A lodestone is magnetic, not necessarily heavy," Rapunzel said, squinting down at the book cover and brushing some dust off the surface."

"And this makes it a less apt nickname how?"

Rapunzel stuck her tongue out at Griet. Master Thaddeus shuffled nervously and dabbed his brow with his handkerchief.

"I would suggest the library," Griet continued.

"A library is a good place for a book."

Much to the relief of Master Thaddeus, the interview was concluded and he was allowed to return to tutoring Rapunzel on history in her private study on the main floor. She found that she couldn't focus, though. The book, with its secrets at her fingertips, yet still so effectively locked away, was a tantalizing distraction that was pulling at her more and more.

She arranged the meeting with Duke Herrington, but was obliged to wait two whole days before their conflicting schedules could be accommodated. In the meantime, she had the book moved to the library, and set about trying to find what she could about ancient Solaran on her own.

"I'm going to laugh if that ends up being a book of laundry lists," Griet commented.

"Don't be silly, Griet. It's obviously _something_ important, or they wouldn't have locked it away."

"Speaking of locked away, the other books in ancient Solaran are locked in a chest in the history section to preserve them. The archivist is visiting his family in Troika. How do you plan on getting to the books? And _why_ do you need more books in a language you don't know how to read yet?"

"For reference, Griet! Honestly, you really need to use your imagination."

"I'm just saying, if it were me, I would start with the dictionaries."

"I want both."

Griet sighed. "There." She pointed a hand to a locked door between two ceiling-high bookshelves. "The archivist said they were in there."

"Good. Could you give me your hairpin please?"

When Rapunzel had first come to the palace, her hair had been so short that there was nothing any of her ladies-in-waiting could do with it except curl it a little bit sometimes. As such, she had been spared the tender torture of having her bound up tightly like Griet's. She had wondered if anyone expected her to take more care with it now that it was growing out again, but nobody ever said anything. The subject of Rapunzel's hair made everyone in the palace quite nervous. She learned to recognize the awkward silence of those who did not believe her story, and the even more awkward silence of those who did.

Still, she could be reading too much into it. Her mother wore her hair down, after all, just not loose and free like a foundling.

Griet pulled a pin out of hair and handed it to Rapunzel.

"Now keep watch," Rapunzel advised.

The lock was heavier than the ones she was used to— she had only learned how to do this recently, after all— but it wasn't too much longer than usual before she had the door open. "Here we are," she said proudly.

"Oh, my lady, what has that boy done to you?"

With Griet's help, Rapunzel took about a dozen books out of the storage room and moved them to the central table where the girls had begun to set up the princess's project. They set them carefully down next to the 'lodestone' and the various dictionaries and translation tools that Rapunzel had already collected.

"This is going to take a while." Griet looked around the room as if in mourning.

"You may go, if you wish, Griet. You're right. I'll be a while."

"Yes, well, don't forget elocution this afternoon."

Rapunzel waved her off. She felt a wave of loneliness as soon as Griet was gone. Griet was a very smart girl, and the only one Rapunzel's own age whom she had met who wasn't afraid to have opinions and perspectives that differed from those of the princess. In the new-found world of court intrigue, such a quality was worth more than Rapunzel could count, but in this moment she longed for a companion to join her in this project that shared her enthusiasm for it.

"Well, Pascal," she said aloud to the silent, dusty air of the library. "Where would you start?"

* * *

><p>"Hi, Lila."<p>

Lila Baker continued to blink angrily at Eugene and then turned abruptly to her father.

"He's here for tea. What does it look like?" Braddock shrugged.

"Father."

"He just got here. I haven't found out what his purpose is in Talvania yet. He was just about to tell me. Pull up a chair."

Lila stepped forward and dropped a basket onto the tabletop with no ceremony. "Cheese," she said. "I got a sausage too."

"Excellent. I'll go get the toasting spears."

Braddock disappeared into the next room, leaving the two young people eyeing each other uncomfortably.

"Well, whatever the reason you're here, it obviously doesn't have to do with me."

"Lila—"

"No, I heard enough. Congratulations. You're getting married. I have to say, I'm honestly surprised."

A strained silence fell. Finally, she said, "You left."

"You didn't come," he shot back.

She glared. "I wasn't ready. You didn't _wait_."

"It was as good an excuse as any."

"I'm sorry-_excuse_?"

"The more I thought about it, the more I thought our plan would be better solo. I didn't want to ruin your life with the likes of me."

She snorted, sounding very much like her father. "Well, you got that one right. Thanks for the favor."

"You're welcome." He didn't know what else to say.

"I thought about following you, you know. I almost did, except mother fell ill, and—"

"Yeah, Braddock told me. I'm sorry, Lila."

"Don't worry about it. Why are you here?"

"I, um, have a job here. For my fiancée's parents."

"Trade?"

"Not precisely."

"Herald?"

"No."

"Traveling buffoon?"

"Funny."

"What then?"

Eugene cleared his throat and gave a nervous laugh. "Ambassador."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Did he tell you?" asked Braddock, emerging from the room beyond, three toasting forks clutched in his right hand. "Our Eugene's gone and snagged himself a princess. Fancy that, eh?"

"Princess?" Now something in Lila's determined expression finally staggered. She looked at Eugene in disbelief. "Don't be hard with him, Eugene."

"It's the truth! I'm here to be the Coronan ambassador to Talvania for the harvest celebrations."

Lila looked at her father. "You believe this?"

Eugene was starting to pull out his ring as a means of proof, when an officious-sounding knock began drifting in from the bakery shop door. It was accompanied by a muffled call.

"I say, hello! Is anyone there?"

"Oh, that'd be Connelly. He's my official escort. And probable spy for my future in-laws."

"We'd better let him in before he rouses the entire street."

Connelly kept shouting. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but, well, he insisted!"

As one, Eugene, Lila, and Braddock rose and headed back through the front room. Braddock yanked open the door and stared, imposing, down at Connelly, who gulped, his knuckles raised mid-knock. He caught himself, straightened, and bravely cleared his throat.

"Master baker," he said, eyeing Braddock's apron up and down, "I am here in search of my companion. He's tall— but not too tall, and his eyes are brown and he has a little bit of a— oh, hello, sir."

"Connelly, how in the world did you find me?"

"The—um—" Connelly shuffled aside and looked down, where Eugene was not in the least surprised to see a very irate-looking Pascal glaring six feet straight up at him. Lila gave a gasp of surprise. "He followed you, and then he came and fetched me. Good thing too, sir. I thought you'd been carried off."

"No. I came for a visit. These are some old friends of mine." Eugene happily made introductions, remembering to include Pascal when the chameleon skittered up and sat stubbornly on the crown of his head.

Whatever reservations Lila had harbored over the veracity of Eugene's claims seemed tempered by Connelly's uniform and his thoroughly proper, polite behavior.

"You're right, Father," she said when they'd invited Connelly inside and added another chair at the table. "This does seem like a story worth hearing. Even if I do have to hear it from the horse's mouth." She wrinkled her nose.

"Ha! Believe me, coming from _the_ horse's mouth, it'd be a lot more boring. It's a good thing he can't talk."

And so, the story was told. The tea was drunk. The hot cross buns were eradicated before Eugene even got to his arrival at Rapunzel's tower. When it was finished, Lila looked pensive, and said nothing, but Braddock was delighted. "She sounds like something extraordinary, this princess of yours."

"She is. I don't deserve her."

"Well, you've got that right, I'd wager." The baker got to his feet with a groan, and picked up the teapot, now cold. "You do right by her, or I'll haul these old bones over that boundary and whoop your tailbone."

"It's been good seeing you, Braddock. I hope I'll get to visit again on my way home."

The baker and his daughter both turned their heads with a slight start at this, and Eugene wondered when he'd starting thinking of Corona as home. "We should be getting back," he said, glancing aside at Connelly, who was beginning to stoop over his teacup. "Tomorrow will likely be long and full of embarrassing diplomatic anecdotes."

"All right. Be safe. Have fun and be careful."

"I'll walk back with you," said Lila quietly.

Braddock hesitated at this, but nodded after the two exchanged a silent father-daughter conversation with their eyes. Together they all exited the bakery. Braddock paused to lock the door, give Eugene another bony hug, and they went their separate ways— Braddock to his home on the edge of town, Eugene, Lila, and a sluff-footed Connelly back in the direction of the inn.

Since their third companion didn't seen in any way keen on conversation, Eugene let him trail behind, as it was clear that Lila had something on her mind. They walked slowly.

"I'm happy for you. I'm confused, and a little bit hurt, but it's good. She sounds... perfect." She sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"You never thought about me that way at all, did you?"

"Lila, I—"

"I mean, some stolen kisses, a carving on a tree, those things mean a lot to a girl you leave behind."

Eugene ran his hand through his hair, straining for words. "No. I never felt that way, but who's to say? I could have. Maybe. Someday. When my long spell of extreme idiocy had finally passed me by. And believe me, if it hadn't been for Rapunzel, it would still be ongoing."

"And what do you make of palace life?"

"Oh, don't get me started! It's itchy collars and stiff boots and seventeen forks and—what?" He broke off, as Lila was laughing for the first time since they'd reunited.

"I'm just glad to see you haven't completely changed, is all. For a moment I thought Flynn Rider was dead."

"Hey. Flynn Rider is never dead, don't worry about that."

They continued chatting, stretching the short walk out as long as they could, until finally, they were standing before the doors of the inn. Connelly went straight inside, mumbling something that was probably supposed to be 'nice to meet you' in Lila's general direction.

She smiled and turned to Eugene. An awkward silence fell.

Finally, "I'm glad you came back."

"Me too," Eugene blurted, and was surprised to find that it was true. "I hope I have a chance to look up Tansy and Rhodri when I'm in the city."

"They'd love to see you."

"You could come— maybe we could all have dinner together in the palace!"

Now she really did laugh. "Now _that_ would be a sight. I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah. See you."

Perhaps it was because his mind was so full of memories and contemplations, or perhaps he was just losing his touch, but Flynn Rider would have picked up on all the things that were wrong as he headed upstairs to his room: the nervousness of the attendant of whom he'd inquired, the unnatural silence, the large, obvious boot prints littering the carpets in the hallways.

Eugene Fitzherbert, however, noticed none of this until he played it back in his memory, so he was not prepared when he walked into a dark room full of mercenaries and was promptly seized, bound, gagged, and knocked unconscious.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: I have a head!cast for some characters in this story. Which is weird, since the fandom is animated. But in the live action movie version, Connelly would be played by Arthur Darvill (Rory from Doctor Who) and Braddock would be played by Bruce Spence (Zed from Legend of the Seeker).

Thanks for those who reviewed!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

After almost a week of studying yellowed dictionaries until her eyes threatened to cross, Rapunzel had just about had it with ancient Solaran.

"All I've been able to figure out is that it's talking about the sun," she said uncertainly to Duke Herrington. At last, the long-awaited day of their audience had arrived. Griet was sitting dutifully off to the side of the door, the other side of which was flanked by one of the guard. There would be no suspicion cast upon the princess's comportment in her private audience with a man a good ten years her senior.

Griet had said there was good cause to be careful. The Duke was young, handsome, and unmarried. Moreover, he had a certain debonair reputation that she had a difficult time explaining to Rapunzel, who really only knew two men very well.

"Before we begin, may I just say how lovely Your Highness is looking this afternoon?"

"You may. Thank you," said Rapunzel. "Now, if you'll notice—"

"You know, your ensembles are setting quite the fashion trend here in the city. The young ladies of court and indeed all other parts are scrambling to get their tailors to copy some of your designs."

"I— really?"

"Indeed. You are clearly a young woman of inexhaustible talent."

Rapunzel looked at him, puzzled, then shook her head and wrested her attention back to the giant red book. "This word is almost certainly 'sun'," she said, but I can't establish any decent sort of context for the rest of it." She ended the sentence with a firm look of insistence at the Duke, who continued to smile insipidly at her a moment more before relenting.

"Oh, let me see," he said, somehow managing to clear his throat languidly. He scooted his chair closer to the book and stared at the title page. "It says, the Order of Sol, Rites and Prophecies."

"The Order of Sol?" Rapunzel repeated, setting her tone to the obvious respect and import that this title carried. "I think I remember a reference to them. Something about a temple in the north that was lost ages ago, and—" She began hurriedly rifling through the stack of books, trying to remember where she'd read it. She paused to look at Duke Herrington, who was staring at her in amusement. "Well, don't stop. What does the next page say?"

"You know, Princess, the ideal course of action would be not to depend on me for mere translation, but to undertake the study of the language yourself. I think it easily within your grasp, and a commendable scholastic effort for our future sovereign."

Rapunzel thought about the cache of ancient scripts and scrolls underneath the base of her tower. "Yes, you're right," she said. "I would like to study it. Where did you? Who was your teacher?"

Duke Herrington's alarm was evident, so much that it caused Griet to choke back a snicker from the corner.

"Your Highness, my suggestion was going to be that _I_ tutor you."

"Oh!" Rapunzel declared, pretending surprise she did not actually feel. She thought about it. "But I'm sure you're much too busy for something so trivial."

"It would be no imposition, I'm sure."

"I should tell you that I would be a most persistent student, and I would expect that, as the princess, you would be able to devote yourself to the demands of my schedule, _not_ the other way around."

"Princess, I would offend foreign Senators if it would please you."

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow and spared a brief glance at Griet, who made a ridiculous face behind Herrington's back. She blinked at the saccharine expression on the Duke's face, thinking fast. "Well," she said, clearing her throat, "if that be the case, then you must prove yourself."

"Anything you ask, Your Highness."

"Okay. See to it that this entire book is translated."

"Of course."

"As quickly as you can manage it. You may begin this evening."

His face brightened at the prospect, and Rapunzel wondered for a moment if she hadn't misjudged him. Someone who got that excited about translation had to be more than a mere dandy. "Of course. But I should warn you, Your Highness, translation is very exacting work. One word could have a thousand subtle interpretations, and—"

"A rough translation will be sufficient, Your Grace, thank you. I'll leave you to it."

She and Griet made their exit from the library. "You didn't tell him about what else you found in that book," Griet said lowly as they began heading along the quickest route back to Rapunzel's chambers.

"I know. There's no reason to raise any interest over it."

On the second day of her studies, Rapunzel had taken a closer look at the only part of the book she could really read— a family tree, though she had no way of knowing what sort of family it was. She had almost fallen out of her chair when she finally got a good look at one name close to the bottom.

_Gothel_

In that moment, with chills running down her spine, Rapunzel knew she was onto something important.

"I need to take my mind off of this," she said aloud. "Come on, let's not go back just yet. Let's go visit Max."

Max was in good spirits. Rapunzel found him happily munching on a bag of oats, every now and again stopping to look up worriedly at Sylvia, his mate, who was looking a bit weary of all the scrutiny.

"Hello, Max!" Rapunzel greeted him. She held up something from her pocket. "I brought you a Macintosh!" A visit to the stables was always preceded by an obligatory visit to the kitchens.

Her gift was met by an exuberant whinny and then some looks and gestures that very clearly told her to give the apple to Sylvia.

"Hah! You're not nobly sacrificing yourself this time," she said, and whipped her hand in and out of her other pocket. "I brought _two_ for Sylvia."

Griet kept a wary distance as Rapunzel chatted to the two horses, giving them both a hearty rubdown while they munched on their snacks. She flatly refused Rapunzel's suggestion of an evening ride, and eventually Rapunzel remembered that she ought to tell the cook to send a dinner to Duke Herrington in the library.

This much accomplished, she took her own dinner with her parents, went upstairs, read some of her novel, and snuggled deep into her big, downy bed for a good night's sleep.

Halfway through, the good night's sleep was interrupted.

"Princess? Princess Rapunzel?"

"Hmmn? What is it, Hannah?"

"Your pardon, my lady. I—"

"Hannah? Are you all right? You're shaking."

"I came upstairs to check the fire, miss, and I found this. It was tacked to your mirror frame."

Still groggy, Rapunzel climbed out of bed and took the paper that was clutched in Hannah's trembling hand. She didn't need very much light to read it, for it was written in bold, square letters.

**WE HAVE RIDER. COME TO OSSPOT IF YOU WANT TO SEE HIM ALIVE AGAIN. YOU HAVE FIVE DAYS. COME ALONE.**

Now Rapunzel's hand was the one trembling.

Tacked to the bottom of the letter was Eugene's ambassador ring.

* * *

><p>Eugene was trying to remember how long he'd been a prisoner. They'd hit him pretty hard, that first time, and his head had ached so terribly that he'd slept for most of the first two days. It wasn't like there was much of anything else to do.<p>

His best guess was that they'd been trapped for most of a week. He was tired, probably because they'd been deliberately underfeeding him. Still, he felt more or less assured he could have gotten at least out of the cell—Corona dungeon it was not— but there were two very good reasons to hold his peace. First: he had no idea what sort of gauntlet or lack thereof might be waiting for him once he got past the door. Second: he was not alone. Connelly was there too. And he was sick.

Connelly had contracted some kind of fever. Whether it was due to their circumstances or only exacerbated by them, Eugene couldn't say. It was all he could do to try and keep the man comfortable, force him to eat, and giving up most of his own water for his friend's benefit.

With the exception of the guards, who kept watch and brought the food, there were no visitors, no explanations of why they were here or who was holding them.

"Well, I guess we can officially say I've failed my suitability test," Eugene said aloud to the almost comatose Connelly. "An unsuitable suitor, that's me. I mean, who in the world would believe that the province's most famous thief would walk so blindly into a trap." He was still kicking himself over that one. He consoled himself with the knowledge that Connelly had already _been_ captured, ergo if Eugene had detected the ambush, he'd have likely been captured anyway in a rescue attempt.

Still, that would have been less embarrassing.

Finally, near the end of the fifth or sixth day, he had a visitor. She was a beautiful woman with black hair and black eyes in a snug, silvery-gray gown. Clearly she expected her beauty to be disarming, and she wasn't totally wrong, mostly because it wasn't quite what Eugene had been expecting.

"Well, Master Rider," she said, pulling over her gloves in a very satisfied manner. "By now your princess will have gotten our message. I expect in another week she'll be here. If my sources are correct, there is no better bait to draw her out than you." She eyed him up and down. "I can see why, in part."

Eugene straightened, feeling strangely compromised. "You're holding me for ransom then?"

"Indeed."

"How much am I worth these days? I've never had a price on my head as an honest citizen before."

The lady laughed, a twisted, musical sound. "Oh no, darling. She's not _bringing_ the ransom. She _is_ the ransom."

* * *

><p>Rapunzel let herself panic for thirty seconds before her resolve sharpened. "Hannah," she said, "I need to leave."<p>

"But—"

"As soon as possible. I only have five days to get to— hang on, where is Osspot?"

"I don't know, Highness."

"I'll have to look it up in the library. Bother. I hope Herrington gave up and went home. No, wait!" She wavered, then nodded. "Go wake up Griet. She might know. As quietly as you can, please."

Griet did not wake up as readily as Rapunzel, it seemed. It seemed a full hour before she finally arrived, yawning, her dark hair tousled. Rapunzel almost didn't recognize her. "What's wrong? Hannah said it was urgent."

"Where's Osspot?"

"Osspot?" Griet pinched the bridge of her nose wearily. "You're asking me a geography question at four in the morning?"

In that moment, Rapunzel realized that trying to spin a story for Griet would be a pointless exercise. Even if she could come up with something remotely believable, it would take too much time. Resigned, she thrust the ransom note under Griet's sleepy eyelids.

"Eugene is in trouble."

Griet read the note three times over with maddening calm. She looked up, her displeasure evident. "There's no talking you out of this, is there?"

"No."

"Then I guess I'm coming with you."

"Really?" Rapunzel clapped her hands over her mouth, fearful her outburst would wake half the castle. The she threw her arms around Griet. Then, just as quickly, she pulled back, alarmed. "But the note— it said to come alone," she added in concern.

"I think it means don't bring an armed guard. I hardly think one spoiled baron's daughter will be considered much of a threat." She turned to Hannah. "Go get some provisions from the kitchen, Hannah. Quiet as you can, please."

Hannah glanced between the two girls, pale and terrified. "But—"

"What is it?" Rapunzel asked with concern.

"What do I tell them when you're gone? It's my duty to tell their Majesties if you're planning on running away, Princess. I don't want to lose my place."

"I'm not running _away_," Rapunzel said, and then faltered, wondering exactly how else to describe it. "Well, not for good anyway."

"But you could die!"

Rapunzel considered. Her resolve remained unchanged, but she could sympathize with Hannah's dilemma. She had a feeling that the maid was much too afraid for her livelihood to cover for them. "Do you want to come too?" she asked hesitantly. The girl somehow managed to turn even whiter, which gave a quick answer to that question.

"Oh bother," Rapunzel said out loud. She had one more idea. She didn't like it very much, but it would solve the problem. "I'm really sorry about this, Hannah."

Before the flabbergasted maid had time to figure out Rapunzel's intentions, she took her by the arm and hurried her into the alcove that served as both closet and preferred reading nook. It had one tall, narrow window and a drop below that would surely kill any breathing creature without wings. Then she hastily closed the door on Hannah's shocked face and bolted it.

Griet looked at the makeshift prison distastefully. "I take it _I'm _sneaking into the kitchens, then?"

"Yes, and the library to learn what you can about Osspot. Make sure you get some food and water for Hannah, too."

"What will you be doing?"

"Packing. And getting us out of here. We don't want to go through the front door."

"And how, may I ask, are we leaving?"

Rapunzel grinned.

* * *

><p>It really was worth something having a rogue for a betrothed.<p>

"Your Highness, I'm really starting to second-guess this plan!" hissed Griet from somewhere above Rapunzel's head.

"Just keep going!" Rapunzel called up, as quietly as she dared.

Having the most enormous bed in all of known civilization— save her parents', of course—Rapunzel also had the world's largest sheets, and lots of them. They weren't as strong as she would have liked, so she had doubled up on her rope, making the knots nice and thick and strong, with plenty of room for purchase and rest. Griet, after all, was not as accustomed to bandying about on ropes dropped out of towers, whatever they were made of. Rapunzel had made the descent first, and was waiting at the bottom to hold the rope steady.

In further deference to her friend's inexperience, Rapunzel had also carried down the entirety of their travel supplies in two heavy satchels on her back. Both girls were wearing dark gowns, dark cloaks, and sturdy boots with plenty of extra stockings. They had some changes of clothing, some food and water, money, and a book on Talvanian history and geography. Osspot, as it turned out, was a small town in the northern part of Eugune's home country.

The eastern horizon was turning a dark purple edged with orangey-gold, and Rapunzel urged her friend to move faster. They were over halfway down now, but they still had to avoid being seen by the patrols. The lighter it got outside, the smaller their chances of getting away unhindered.

Finally, Griet reached the bottom with a relieved thud. She let go of the rope and stared at her hands. "Ow," she said pointedly, rubbing them for good measure.

Rapunzel had already twisted Griet's share of the travel supplies off her back and was now handing it to her. "Hurry."

They slipped in and out of the shadows of the courtyard until they reached the stables. Griet waited outside while Rapunzel climbed in through one of the back windows, narrowly avoiding a stable boy relieving himself in the corner. She landed softly in a pile of hay and ducked quietly on the other side of the wall until the boy decided to dismiss the disturbance as nothing and left for his morning chores.

Max was sleeping so contentedly it pained Rapunzel to wake him.

"Max," she whispered directly into his ear.

That was a mistake. He jerked awake with an alarmed whinny and clobbered backward five steps until his rump hit the back of the stable and he shook half the building."

"Shhh! Shhh! Boy, it's just me!" she whispered frantically, waving her arms in front of his face. "Calm down, calm down!"

It was a testament to his excellent training that he did just that, his features immediately softening with surprise and concern. "Are you going on rounds this morning?"

He snorted affirmatively.

"I need you to meet me outside the city." As quickly as possible, she told him what was going on. "Griet needs something to ride, so bring someone fast and dependable along with you."

Max's preoccupation was evident at Rapunzel's news. He shuffled and snorted appropriately, trying to decide if he was more worried or mad about Eugene, and throwing longing gazes in the direction of Sylvia, who was looking on placidly from her own stall.

"Meet me on the footpath just after the third bend in the forest road. You know which one I mean. We'll be waiting for you there."

She tumbled back out the window. By now, there was more than enough light to read by and the dark cloaks would have looked ridiculous if it wasn't such a chilly morning. Rapunzel showed Griet one of the secret ways out of the palace walls, and then another out of the city walls, and breathed a sigh of relief when they were over the lake and safe on the other side.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Continuing with my "head cast"- Mystery raven-haired lady would be played by Claudia Black of Farscape and Stargate SG-1 (and many, many video games).

By the way, I suppose I should mention that Connelly is from the movie, or he's supposed to be. That skinny, stoic guard who bravely tries to hold his own against the Stabbington brothers for all of the two seconds he lasts? It sounds to me like the captain called him "Connelly" but I never bothered trying to confirm it. In either case, I loved him for his little gesture of bravery, and he instantly won a place in any and all potential Tangled fanfic on my part. :-)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Master Rider, my contacts tell me that your beloved has successfully escaped her palace and is on her way here."

Eugene sat down on the cot and debated whether he should try to mask his concern or exaggerate it. Since these people seemed fixated with his Flynn Rider identity, he supposed the first choice would be more in character. "I hope you can keep up with her," he said, propping his foot on his knee and leaning casually on the wall behind his cot. "She's a pretty speedy rider."

The raven-haired woman smiled faintly. "I assure you, we are keeping her well in hand."

He snorted, and looked at Pascal, who looked smug. As usual when they had visitors, Pascal was strategically concealed with a good view of everything, but without anyone having a good view of him, unless you knew exactly where to look. Eugene would have been very surprised if her Superiorness suspected the sidekick's existence.

Crossing his arms more tightly, he tried, not for the first time, to find some sort of read on his cool, mysterious captor. "So what's your title, my lady?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Lady?"

"Oh, come on. Even if you came in here wearing rags, you didn't learn to stand and speak like that at the Corncobb Inn."

Lady Raven-hair tilted her hair. "Perhaps the skill is learned. To throw you off."

He looked around and spread his hands. "Who am I going to tell?" He heard a scratching somewhere near his midsection, which scuttled further away, out through the bars into the room beyond. He recognized that Pascal was going scouting, and forced himself not to look for him on the ground or anywhere else. "You've got me well and truly caught."

"As if you couldn't break out of here in three heartbeats."

"You flatter me."

"It's your soft heart that holds you here. So delightfully easy to manipulate."

"You do not flatter me. Well, yes, it's true. I've gone soft. All the more reason for you to just tell me all your plans. You obviously love coming here to gloat every day, which, by the way, is every bit as predictable as me doing things for honor and friendship and all other such touchy-feely forms of motivation."

He caught sight of Pascal, who had climbed up the table leg where the guards took their meals, and was skulking, as quietly as possible toward the small, velvet drawstring bag that the woman always brought with her.

"Hmmn. You're right. I ought to practice more humility, I suppose."

Pascal was now very near the bag. He didn't seem to be aware that one of the guards' pewter ale tankards was hovering just a little bit too much over the edge of the table and that he was brushing much too close to it...

Hastily, Eugene fixed his eyes squarely on the woman's face and made sure that when the inevitable-

_CRASH!_

- happened, he would not look as if he had anticipated it. As the woman and both the guards turned around in shock, though, he couldn't hold back a wince and the briefest of glares in Pascal's direction. Pascal had already dived into the velvet bag and, judging by the lack of movement, was huddled up as tightly as possible inside it.

After a confused examination of the area around the table, the woman gave the two guards an exasperated look and gathered up her bag. "Well, Master Rider, since I merely came with the intent to keep you informed of the princess's movements, I will be taking my leave." She smoothed her dress.

Eugene gave her a cheeky wave that he hoped masked the way he kept holding his breath, wondering if she would notice that her bag was heavier than when she'd put it down.

When the woman had gone, he crossed the cell to check on Connelly.

"That frog had better know what he's doing."

* * *

><p>Rapunzel and Griet rendezvoused with Maximus and Griet's mare, Octavia, in the clearing. Rapunzel supposed that by now people were well and truly searching for her, so she didn't waste time in hurrying them onward. Though she hadn't quite worked out a complete plan, there was one place at least she knew she would be stopping.<p>

The Snuggly Ducking.

Griet could not decide whether she ought to look more disgusted or more terrified as they dismounted and Rapunzel plunged boldly in through the front door. The lady-in-waiting hung back at the threshold, and goggled at her princess.

"Hi, guys!" Rapunzel announced to the room at large, waving with a grin that could not be contained with a millennium.

Most of the denizens had already turned at the sound of the door bursting open, so they didn't really need any time to adjust to her greeting. It was as if a small canon of loud, dirty salutation exploded in the air, smelling faintly of the color brown. They all shouted "Princess!" or "Rapunzel!" or some things Rapunzel suspected that Griet would not be relaying back to her parents when this was over.

In a flash, they had pulled up two bar stools. Günter cleaned them off with a surprisingly white handkerchief and the two girls sat down gratefully. Two tankards of very foul-smelling beer were tossed in front of them. Rapunzel sipped at hers eagerly, getting some of the foam on her lip and making all of the men smile at her with mushy expressions. Griet swallowed and tried to push hers away in increments small enough that their hosts might not notice.

"What are you doing here?" Hook-hand finally asked. "We heard you had a wedding to plan! Though we all agree you could really do better."

"Hey, there's something we agree on," put in Griet. She nudged her tankard another micro-inch.

Rapunzel threw her a quick scowl. "It's because of Eugene that I'm here," she said, and pulled out the ransom note. "I need to know if any of you know something about Osspot. That's where we're going."

After they had read the note aloud for the benefit of those who couldn't read, the chorus of thugs was eager to press its concern for Rapunzel in her quest.

"Guys, guys!" she cried. They quieted down. "You can't talk me out of this. I'm going."

"Then we'll come with you."

"Sorry, I have to go alone."

"What about her?" asked Big-nose, defensively, gesturing to Griet with his ale and splashing her slightly. From nowhere, Günter handed her another handkerchief.

"Well, we're hoping since she's the pampered daughter of a baron, nobody will consider her a threat. They would be wrong, but I don't think I can count on the same misdirection with one of you guys."

She looked around, and was met with a gaggle of stubborn, bristling stares. "Plus, I have Max with me. He's right outside." She pointed over her shoulder.

Instantly, the tension in the room lessened. "Well, that's a different story altogether," said Hook-hand, slapping her slightly on the back with his non-hooked hand. Griet edged as far away from him on her stool as she could without toppling off of it.

"As for Osspot, I think Olaf here lived there for a few years. Cold place, isn't it, Olaf?"

Olaf proved to be a very helpful source of information for Rapunzel and Griet, including drawing them a painstakingly detailed map. "He always wanted to be a cartographer, but he slept in the day they were taking apprentices," explained Vladimir.

"I see. Well, who needs an apprenticeship anyway?" asked Rapunzel, admiring the map. Olaf blushed. After sanding and blowing on the ink a few more times, Rapunzel rolled it up tightly and put it in her bag. "We'll take good care of it." She leaned over and gave Olaf a kiss on the cheek. Griet studied the edge of the bar carefully, probably hoping nobody would expect a kiss from her. "You guys have been a big help. Thank you so much. We'll be sure to stop by on our way home. Goodbye!"

Like a breath of sunshine, she flitted out as lightly as she'd come. She didn't see all the smiles darken as soon as she was gone.

"Boys," said Hook-hand, "I don't care what she says, that girl is not going into Osspot alone."

There was a chorus of agreement.

* * *

><p>Connelly was really worried when he learned what Pascal had done, but it was so difficult to explain what had happened without the guards overhearing, that by the time Eugene had finally gotten the story properly conveyed, it was only a half hour longer before the chameleon returned. He had a small clutch of folded papers in his mouth.<p>

"Oh, thank you. That's disgusting," said Eugene as they slightly saliva-sodden sheaf was dropped unceremoniously into his lap. "And, er, thank you," he added more sincerely at Pascal's sharp glare.

Carefully checking over his shoulder to make sure the guards weren't looking, Eugene unfolded the sheaf.

The top sheet was a letter.

Eugene's eyes first fell on the seal. "Do you recognize the crest?" he asked Connelly quietly, taking care not to move his lips too much.

Connelly shook his head. Eugene proceeded to read. 

_My most noble patroness,_

_I thank you for your last, and hope you are both in good health._

_On the subject of the Princess, I must entreat your patience. The girl's birth and upbringing must almost certainly provide us clues on our quest, and I am convinced that even if she yields no information of value on that score, what remnants may remain of her power could still be of short-term benefit._

_Your ladyship spoke of accelerating our plans. Bring the girl to me in Osspot, and I will proceed as best I am able. _

_Your devoted servant,_

_Ioan Lanser_

Eugene flipped the letter over, frustrated.

"That's it?"

"Not much to go on," Connelly observed.

"No, but it does tell us a few things."

"Like what?"

Eugene double-checked on the guards. Seeing the men fully absorbed in their own pastimes, he huddled a bit closer, but tried his best to keep his manner unassuming.

"They know about Rapunzel's powers, and they're going to either interrogate or experiment on her. Both, by the sounds of it. I was right in my guess that Lady Raven Hair was aristocracy, probably the "ladyship" he's talking about here. Also, we're either already in Osspot, or we need to get there as soon as we escape."

"And the guy who wrote this is named Ioan," Connelly pointed out.

"Or calls himself that." Eugene glanced over at Pascal. "Good job, frog."

Ignoring the chameleon's scowl, he regarded Connelly. "How are you feeling?"

The guard drew himself up as much as he dared and assumed a determined expression. "Well enough. The princess is in danger."

"We'll leave in the morning."

"How, sir?"

"I'm still working on that part."

Eugene stuffed the letter into the heel of his boot for safekeeping. As soon as he was satisfied Connelly was fully asleep, he lay on his hard cot and stared up into the darkness, trying to determine the most likely way they could break free and stay that way.

Pascal was some help. Emboldened by his success in retrieving the Raven lady's letter, he made a few trips out into the city as darkness fell and returned with various things to help Flynn determine where they were, most notably a news bulletin with a familiar header.

"Look at that," he muttered. "_The City Crier_. So we're probably still in Tallus." He frowned as he huddled near the window, trying to read the top headline in the light of the half moon.

_**MORE DELAYS FROM THE CORONAN AMBASSADOR**_

"What?"

He tried to read the article, but the light was fading fast, and he daren't risk getting close to the lantern light coming from the guards' table for fear that they would notice the paper. No matter. He was convinced now that they were being held in his childhood city, and that made him feel worlds better.

It was late before he finally managed to give up going through all the possible ways a former thief, a sick royal guard, and a chameleon could overcome two burly mercenaries in a small, enclosed space without attracting much attention (there were surprisingly a number of choice methods, most especially those involving Pascal as the secret weapon). His exhausted body took over and he drifted off into a nervous sleep.

The rest was woefully short-lived.

Eugene, Connelly, and Pascal all snapped awake at the sound of a very loud explosion somewhere quite nearby.

They weren't the only ones who were surprised. "What the—" The two guards looked at each other and then at the prisoners. The taller of the two narrowed his eyes at Eugene. "Wait here," he ordered the other, and hurried out the door.

This was their best chance.

"Pascal," he said.

"Who—?" began the second guard, but his question was cut short by his own cry. "Arrrgh! What in the—"

Eugene could barely see the lizard, a blur of muted green and brown as he scampered up the man's tunic and seized a mouthful of hair at the nape of his neck, tugging hard. The guard yelled louder, probably more out of terror than pain, and stumbled forward.

Eugene reached through the bars and seized the guard's tunic, then heaved with all his might, smashing him into the unyielding bars of the cell. There was a satisfying crunch, and the man sloughed to the floor.

"Good job, Pascal. Keys?"

Pascal was already four legs ahead. He couldn't undo the catch that held the key ring to the belt, but he was able to drag the key ring within Eugene's grasp. A few moments later, Eugene and Connelly had stepped through the door and joined their tiny comrade, one step closer to freedom. They gathered their weapons and dashed for the door.

Just through the doorway, Eugene almost crashed headlong into someone else. The encounter was so sudden that he and the someone both staggered to a halt and yelled.

"Arrrgh!" shouted the other figure and hoisted something above its head in panic. Beside him, Eugene felt Connelly drawing his sword and shot out a hand to stop him.

"No!" He had taken a better look at his assailant and almost couldn't believe his eyes.

"_Tansy_?" he asked. Behind his back, he could sense Connelly relaxing, but only a little.

Indeed. There she was, in a faded brown-grey dress and bare feet, hoisting a tarnished copper cook pot over her head and wearing an expression that might have made a tiger think twice, especially since her wild, flush face was framed by a halo of fire bright hair.

Hearing her name, she gave a start. She was still breathing hard, but her eyes fixed on Eugene and filled with recognition and delight.

"You _did_ come back!" she squealed and dropped the pot. She threw her arms around him.

"Oooof!" Eugene almost stumbled back at the embrace. "Yeah," he managed through tightly-squeezed ribs. "I missed you too. But it's not really the best time—or place."

Tansy promptly let go of him. "Right. We're here to rescue you. Let's go." She seized his sleeve with one hand, reclaimed her cook pot with the other, and marched off down the corridor. "Follow me," she said to Connelly over her shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Um... Insert something witty here? I guess I didn't have any particular insights into this chapter. Hope you enjoyed! :-)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

An hour later, Eugene and Connelly found themselves once again sequestered away in secret, but a small, dimly-lit room without windows, but that was about as far as the similarities went.

For one, it was warmer. There were no bars, and while the beds weren't really all that more comfortable, they were cleaner. Tansy had taken Connelly's illness into her own two capable hands, which meant wrapping him up in what looked to be every scarf she owned and shoving hot, watery cabbage soup down his throat by the boatload. Eugene noted that she was using of the very same cooking pot that had served as her weapon a short time earlier.

"Small, barefoot women and cookware are obviously a universally dangerous combination," Eugene had observed to Pascal. The chameleon looked to be in sage agreement.

Also crowded into the room were Lila and Tansy's brother, Rhodri. "So, you've been tracking me this whole time?" Eugene asked.

Lila and Rhodri exchanged looks. "Not exactly," she admitted. "It wasn't until your late arrival started getting truly scandalous that we began to wonder if something hadn't gone wrong. My father was worried about you from the start, when you didn't come to say goodbye, but I just thought... with your new life and all..." She looked chagrined. "I'm sorry, Eugene."

"It's all right. I didn't say goodbye the first time. Why should expect anything different of me now?"

"Anyway, mate, you really are a hot topic out there right now. Everyone's talking about it. And the king and queen are pretty mad, I can tell you."

"Mad? Not worried?"

"Well, to them, you're not missing."

"I'm not?"

"No, you're just an offensive, procrastinating oaf." Rhodri's hair was every bit as red as his sister's. He leaned against the wall by the door, one foot propped up behind him, arms crossed.

"What?" Belatedly, Eugene remembered the news bulletin that Pascal had brought him. He fished into his pocket and pulled it out hastily. "_'Emissaries from Corona arrived for the fourth day in a row relaying the Talvanian-born Ambassador Fitzherbert's continued entreaty of King Georg's indulgence while he enjoys the hunt.'_ What? What emissaries? Connelly and I were the only ones on this trip."

"It sounds a bit fishy," Tansy agreed. She spooned some more cabbage soup into Connelly's mouth. Eugene really felt he was looking more green from the soup than from his illness at this point.

"And nobody's bothered to look into it further?"

"Why would they? The guards are Coronan, or look to be, and the handwriting matches yours, and the seals are all correct."

"Well," Eugene spluttered, more irritated by the moment, "then why didn't _you_ lot buy it?"

"You hate hunting. Or you used to."

"Why hunt what you can steal," said Eugene and Rhodri together, and the group laughed as one.

"Also, Lila seemed to think you wouldn't risk embarrassing this princess of yours by behaving like that."

Eugene looked at Lila, whose cheeks went pink. She cleared her throat. "All added up, it was instincts, mostly," she concluded.

"So what do we do now?" asked Rhodri.

Connelly swallowed and managed to break away from Tansy's relentless spoon long enough to speak. "We have to get to Osspot," he said. "That's where they're taking the princess."

"Osspot?" Rhodri frowned. "That's over a day's ride north."

"And she might already have a head start on us," Eugene added. "Whoever is behind this, wants to secure her as soon as possible. They can't keep up the hunting ruse forever. Rapunzel will already have been missed in Corona. Our enemy is gambling on a very narrow window of time to get this done."

"Which gives us the advantage." Lila stood up. "I'll take you to Osspot. My mother has family there. I know the road."

"We'll all go," said Rhodri.

"No," said Eugene and Lila together. He caught her eye. "In case I'm wrong, I need you to stay behind and watch for Rapunzel in case she does come through the capital first."

"And I can help by staying _and_ keeping my job," said Tansy, nodding firmly.

Rhodri looked disappointed, but he nodded, and relaxed back into his watchful posture beside the door.

"When can we leave?" Eugene asked Lila. "And what will we do for horses?"

She closed her eyes and pressed her thumb between her eyebrows, thinking hard. "My father has a cart horse, but it's not going to get one of us there fast enough."

"We could ask the Talvanians," Connelly suggested.

Lila snorted and gave him a sympathetic look. "That will take three days, minimum, honey."

"Not to mention raising the suspicions of whoever is after your princess," added Tansy. She patted Connelly's head fondly and resumed feeding him soup. He glowered at her.

"Right then. So we get some rest, wait for dawn, and get some horses."

"How?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

* * *

><p>It was Griet's idea to see if anybody was following them.<p>

"Think about it," she'd said on the third day of their journey, "somebody in the palace put that note on your door, so somebody is in league with Eugene's kidnappers. Wouldn't it stand to reason that they'd also have someone to make sure you were following orders? I mean, what if you had ignored the note and they'd needed to send a backup threat?"

It wasn't so easy to convince Rapunzel to investigate, though. She was worried about Eugene and she didn't want to delay their journey and risk arriving after the deadline. However, after relentless persuasion, Griet managed to convince her by pointing out that the kidnappers probably needed Eugene alive more than dead. If they killed him, they would lose their influence over Rapunzel. To this, Rapunzel pointed out that they could still hurt him without killing him, to which Griet pointed out that Eugene was Rapunzel's subject and enduring a little torture was the least he could do for his princess.

After that the argument went nowhere for a whole day, because Rapunzel refused to speak to her friend.

In the silence, she had the opportunity to reflect on her friend's arguments a little more objectively, and finally decided that having a little bit more information about what was going on couldn't be a bad thing. After all, if someone _was_ tracking them, they couldn't be terribly far behind, could they? Admittedly, for all her talents, tracking wasn't something Rapunzel knew very much about.

She conferred with Maximus, and was partly annoyed, partly reassured to find that he was in agreement with Griet.

"All right," she finally said to both of them. "We'll try it out."

They put their plan into motion after they crossed the border from Corona into Talvania. Rapunzel supposed it was not the same crossing that Eugene had made over a week ago. He was to have approached Talvania on the southern part of the border. She and Griet were already well north of Talvania's capital city. Their crossing was a wide bridge over a chilly river. It was the same river, Rapunzel realized from her religious study of the region's maps during the course of their journey, which ran by her tower so many leagues downstream.

There were two gatehouses on either end of the bridge, one flying the Coronan flag, the other the Talvanian. Rapunzel exhaled nervously when she saw the gatehouses, hoping that they had made enough good time to beat whatever guards her parents had sent after her. They could easily have gone around the guard posts, but they wanted to use the cover of the town on the other side for their plan.

"I've got an idea," said Griet. "Let me ride Maximus."

Rapunzel blinked at her and looked at Maximus, who looked at Griet reproachfully.

Griet huffed impatiently. "Sorry. Maximus, may I _please_ ride you while we got through the gates?"

Maximus sniffed his affirmative with condescension.

"Thank you _so much_."

Rapunzel smiled. "What's your plan?" she asked Griet.

"I'm going to be myself, and you'll be my servant." Griet eyed Rapunzel's clothes up and down. "Yes. It should work."

Rapunzel tucked her hair up into a maidservant's style with the help of Griet's hairpins and donned the plainer of the two cloaks. Then they switched horses, and with Griet slightly in the lead, trotted up to the Coronan gate.

The exchange went smoothly. Rapunzel introduced her "mistress" and stood with the horses, keeping her eyes down while Griet proceeded to explain her business in Talvania. The guards were appropriately humbled by her status and her official papers, and though the pounding of Rapunzel's heart made it seem an eternity, it was really a couple of minutes before they were allowed to proceed across the bridge.

"Well, I'm pretty sure they're not looking for us," Griet concluded when they were safely out of earshot. Rapunzel nodded.

On the Talvanian side, things took a little bit longer, but only because one of the guards was very young, and very impressed with Griet's beauty and pedigree, and not afraid to show it. Griet ignored him, and then they were safely on the other side.

"Whew!" said Rapunzel. "That was exciting!"

"Speak for yourself. That guard had absolutely terrible breath, and he wouldn't stop _hovering_. I was about to get the frying pan." She took a resolved breath and looked around. "What's this town called again?"

"Juniper. According to Olaf's map. Quick, let's find the best inn," said Rapunzel, urging them on to the next part of their plan.

The plan dictated that 'the best inn' was whichever one would give them the clearest view of the road and the gatehouse, so they could watch for anybody that might be following them. Juniper being a rather large town, there were several choices. In the end, they chose a very smart-looking place called Toby's Toes, which boasted three stories and wide windows, plus the virtue of being along the main road. Griet paid a few extra gold pieces to get them the southeastern room on the top story, which was fortunately unoccupied.

"I hope this works," Rapunzel said uncertainly when they were finally settled. Now that they only had to wait, all her doubts about the plan were returning full force. She was anxious to keep moving, _toward_ Eugene.

"Well, if it doesn't, maybe we could get some sleep in a real bed," said Griet, bouncing eagerly on the large bed that occupied their room. She spread out her limbs, closed her eyes, and sighed contentedly. "Now that's heaven. What do you say? We pull shifts. You take the first watch."

Rapunzel frowned. "Oh, no you don't, Griet. This was _your_ idea, and anyway, two pairs of eyes are better than one. There are a lot of people to watch out there; I might miss something. And if we don't see anything within six hours, we're going to move on. That was the agreement."

Griet wrinkled her nose. "Oh, fine," she said, scrambling back up again. She snatched a pillow and dragged a chair over to the window, where Rapunzel had already set up camp. She put the pillow on the windowsill and crossed her arms on top of it, then laid her chin on her arms. Together they took up the watch.

If she hadn't been so nervous, Rapunzel would undoubtedly have taken much enjoyment from the activity of watching people wander about their daily lives. She had gone straight from a life of solitary captivity to a royal one, which was its own form of privileged captivity at times. It had been almost two years since she'd so fatefully dared to descend the tower, but in that time, precious few of her days had been spent learning how ordinary people lived their lives.

There was a smithy across the road, with sparks flying and steam billowing out from it. There was a bakery, with piles of delicious looking buns in the windows, constantly being snatched up and replaced by the baker and his customers. There were other inns and taverns, sleepier in the middle of the day than she supposed they would be later that evening. All in all, it was harder for Rapunzel to focus on the task at hand than she thought.

It was harder for Griet, as well. Propping her head and arms on a pillow had been a bad idea, because she kept dozing off, and Rapunzel had to keep shaking her awake. The third time it happened, Rapunzel was starting to feel well and truly disgruntled with her friend.

"I'm taking the pillow," she snapped, and yanked it away.

Griet looked chagrined. "I'm sorry, my lady," she said, rubbing her eyes. "I'm not used to all of this hard riding, and my body thinks I'm doing it a favor by stopping."

"Well, maybe if you cared a little more about Eugene, you wouldn't be so casual about it," Rapunzel said.

She halted slightly, conscious of the accusation, and both girls looked away in discomfort.

"Is that what you think?" asked Griet.

Rapunzel sighed. "You make so many comments about his character, his suitability. I don't know if you're being serious or just joking, but next to him and Pascal, you're my closest friend. If _you_ don't like him, then what will the rest of my people think?"

Griet was long in replying. Finally, she spoke, choosing her words with care. "He annoys me sometimes," she admitted. "And I don't really know how qualified he is to help someone run a_still_, let alone a kingdom. His whole life until now has been focused on taking care of himself."

Rapunzel opened her mouth angrily, but Griet cut her off.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but you're right—you need to know the worst perspective that people have on your marriage. Your choice isn't going to make it any easier on you.

"On the other hand," she went on, "inexperience doesn't mean he's incapable. He's very intelligent and he has good instincts and most importantly, it's clear he genuinely cares about you, which puts him leagues ahead of most of the suitors you would have had, believe me." Her expression softened and she gave Rapunzel a smile. "I'll try to lay off the scathing comments if they bother you so much."

Rapunzel gave a stiff nod. "Well. Thank you for explaining."

Another silence descended, and Griet turned her attention pointedly back out the window.

Suddenly, Griet's eyes fixed on the bridge gates and widened. "You have got to be kidding me," she said, and stood to her feet, leaning forward and staring more intently.

Rapunzel turned quickly to look. As soon as she realized what Griet had noticed, she laughed aloud. "It looks like they're going to need some help."

They could hear the scene long before they properly arrived.

"I told you, we have important business!"

"Let us pass!"

"I've got a starving child in Talvania!"

Rapunzel had to hand it to the two Coronan guards who were manning the gatehouse, who were in the middle of a terrific face-off with every single regular patron of the Snuggly Duckling. They were all there, from Atilla to Sven to Vladimir. It was difficult to hold one's own when being stared down by this particular gang. She should know. She'd done it once herself.

"I can't just wave my arm and let you all through— there are papers!" said the flabbergasted guard. "And _what_ business, exactly?" he added, whirling on Hook Hand skeptically.

Hook narrowed his own eyes. "Musical," he said, daring the man to disbelieve him.

"And who is _that_?" the guard asked, pointing at a member of the party Rapunzel noticed for the first time, now that she was close enough.

She goggled, and exchanged an astonished look with Griet. "Duke _Herrington_?" she asked aloud, but not loudly enough that anyone but Griet would hear her. "What is he doing with them?"

It was easy to see why the guard had honed in on the Duke's presence. Despite the obvious wear and tear of a long journey, he was still much cleaner and better-dressed than anyone else in the group. He was also obviously terrified. He glanced up at Vladmir's towering form and gulped.

"I—er— that is to say—"

Griet, ever-quick on her feet, chose this moment to step forward. "He's with me, Captain. They all are."

The guards turned in surprise. "My lady," said the leader, surprised. "You did not say you were expecting any company across the border."

"Have you ever known a lady of my standing to travel so unaccompanied?" she asked haughtily. "I rode ahead for some peace and quiet because I was sick of their incessant nattering." She put her hands on her hips and fixed each of the ruffians with a pointed stare. "_I can throw a rock the farthest! No, I can drink forty tankards before I fall over! We're going to take the _northern_ road, you imbecile!_" She turned to the guard. "Five _days_ of that childish drivel. I had just about had enough."

The ruffians and Duke Herrington tried to look like this story was not news to them. A couple of them nodded their heads with dumb enthusiasm.

The guard was still looking dubious. He cleared his throat. "_These_ are your companions?" he asked. His face was pointed and he stared at Griet hard.

"My livery and my musicians and my kitchen staff, yes. I simply cannot trust that Talvanians will know the proper way to cook seared pork to my liking. And Duke Herrington is my official escort on behalf of my father."

The guard still looked doubtful.

"My _father_ is the Baron of Brackka. Perhaps you'd like to explain this to him back at home?"

The guard sighed. "Of course not." He waved at his companion. "Let them pass."

There was much hustle and bustle as they crossed the bridge. On the Talvanian side, Griet simply favored Bad Breath with a coy smile and things went with very little fuss at all. The entire group hustled as quickly as they could manage through the town until Rapunzel was sure they were safely far enough away from the guards' eyes and suspicions. Then she could stand it no longer.

"What are all you _doing_ here?" she exclaimed, not unhappily. She threw her arms around Hook in a giant hug.

"We were just making sure you were okay," he said, slightly bashful. His eyes hardened. "And it's a good thing too." He jerked his head, and Vladmir shoved Duke Herrington forward.

"This one's been following you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Yay, story's half-posted!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

After spending an entire week of nights indoors, Eugene was amazed to note how much colder the September nights could be in the open air. Then again, they were riding further north, and hard.

"I found more wood," said Connelly, returning from his scout. He threw a pile of dried up limbs onto the weak fire.

"Are you sure this is wise?" asked Lila. "Aren't they going to be looking for us?"

"We got a good head start," said Eugene. "It will take them some time to pick up our trail, and I'm not terribly concerned with hiding it, anyway."

Lila studied him from across the fire. She drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin atop them. "Do you miss this?"

"Miss what? Being on the run?" He laughed. "No."

"Not even a little bit? The excitement, the freedom?"

Eugene thought of sitting through tree-hour history and elocution lectures. "Sometimes," he admitted.

"We used to dream about it together. Do you remember?"

"Lila—" Eugene began, reluctantly.

She shook her head. "It's okay. I'm not trying to hold it over you, it's just—"

The silence was uncomfortable. Connelly looked like he'd rather be anywhere, but considering he'd already made _two_ firewood trips, there wasn't much else he could do shy of closing up inside his bedroll and pretending to be asleep.

Finally, Lila seemed to find some words. "I've been waiting." She looked surprised at the confession. "That's what it is. I never let myself admit it, but I was always holding off, hoping if I just gave it a little bit longer, you would turn around and realize that part of the picture was missing."

Pascal, who had made a cozy little burrow out of the corner of Eugene's bedroll, gave a reproving look, and Connelly's eyes darted between Eugene and Lila so fast, Eugene was surprised he didn't make himself sick.

"I'm sorry," was all he could think to say. "I've made a lot of mistakes."

She exhaled loudly, and then, to his surprise, smiled. "No, it's— it's all right. I can move on with my life now. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but it feels good. Relieving."

"Funny," he said.

"What's funny?"

"Rapunzel and I had a conversation kind of like this the second day we ever met. It was her birthday."

"So, what's the craziest thing you've had to do as a royal?" Lila asked. "How ridiculous are they, really?"

"Hah! You should see the formal footwear. I've never felt like such a dandy."

"But you love the dancing a lot more than you let on," Lila observed.

Connelly gave a snicker and so did Pascal. Eugene glared at both of them.

"What else?"

"The _craziest_ thing?" he repeated, thinking hard. "Eating a five hour meal with sixteen different kind of spoons, and being told repeatedly, before and during, that if I messed up any of them, I would grossly offend the Chancellor of Idris beyond five years' reparations. _Sixteen different spoons_."

"And the dullest thing?"

This time, she barely finished answering the question before he had his answer. "Lessons. I know for a fact that I know way more about Coronan history than I ever knew about Talvanian."

Lila nodded. "You weren't much for minding your schooling."

"I don't know who needs to know this stuff! And to add insult to injury, Rapunzel loves it _all_, the more obscure the better. If I had spent eighteen years in a tower, I would want to be outside every waking moment."

"You already want to be outside every waking moment."

"I know, but— oh, you know what I mean. And believe me, she spends her fair share of time riding and exploring and hunting— oh, and she's a _fantastic_ fencer, by the way—but there are days when I can't get her out of the library."

"Are your lessons formal, though?"

"Yes. With me being of foreign and dubious background, and Rapunzel being, well, recently un-kidnapped, both of us have a lot of catching up to do. There are tests and everything. I just can't understand how memorizing five-hundred year old folk rhymes will ever help us run the country."

"Folk rhymes?" Lila raised an eyebrow.

Eugene cleared his throat.

_The Crab, the crafty thief of skies  
>Despised the rule of Moon and Sun<br>He vowed to shape their true demise  
>And rule the heavens all alone <em>

_The Moon, the Lady, disappeared  
>And made the nighttime sky bereft.<br>The Sun, her husband, knew great fear  
>Until he found the glove she'd left.<em>

_The Crab had taken her from thence,  
>And she, shrewd lady, left behind<br>The glove, her treasure ever since  
>Her husband first her love did find.<em>

_The sun, her Lord, perceived quite well  
>His lady's message in the glove<br>And knew the Crab could never tell  
>How strongly binding was their love.<em>

_Determined he a cunning way  
>To fill the void of moonless night<br>A kiss of purest light of day  
>Would guide her with its golden light <em>

_His kiss, a drop from sunlight giv'n  
>Lit the world of moonless sky<br>A blossom from his bosom riv'n  
>A beacon to his lady's eye.<em>

_From the halls of prison bower  
>The Lady saw the kiss's light.<br>The Crab could not withstand its power  
>And easily she took her flight.<em>

_They danced once more across the sky  
>The Moon, the Lady, and her Sun.<br>With joyful light thrown far and wide  
>Heaven's kingdom all was one.<em>

_The kiss, the flower, lit the night  
>Adornment fair and full of hope,<br>A beacon now for those who might  
>Chance upon that lucky slope!<em>

The fire popped and the very last of the summer crickets chirped when Eugene finished with an exaggerated flourish.

Lila cleared her throat. "That is a very strange poem," she said at last. "Who ever heard of such a thing?"

Connelly looked at Eugene sharply. Lila caught the look. "What is it?"

"It's— not actually that strange," said Connelly. "Not all of it."

Lila looked at Eugene.

"He's right. It's not all _that_ strange. In fact, that last bit—about the flower?— it almost certainly has something to do with why these people are trying to get their hands on Rapunzel."

When he finished telling the story— the bits he had left out back at Braddock's— Lila accepted it with remarkable aplomb. She said that she believed him and left it at that, though Eugene wasn't entirely convinced. Magic golden flowers and miraculous powers aside, they still had a mission before them, and a grueling pace to keep if they were to try and prevent her capture and their own.

Eugene would have loved to know how far behind any pursuit might be, but there was simply nothing he could do about it, so he did his best to keep his mind off of the issue. Far more tangible was his worry for Lila and Connelly. It was clear that one day of riding had already fatigued both of them. Lila was not accustomed to the road in any way, and Connelly was still very frail from his bout of fever.

But neither complained the next morning, and they pressed on. It was not very far to Osspot.

* * *

><p>"It's not very much farther to Osspot."<p>

Griet was consulting the map. Rapunzel, lost in thought, merely nodded.

For someone who was supposed to come to a kidnapping rendezvous unaccompanied, she was building quite a traveling party. In addition to Griet, they had two new additions: Hook-hand and the very unlikely and most unhappy presence of Duke Herrington. Rapunzel was still reeling from everything they had learned when they had met up in Juniper.

"_You_ were the one following us?" Rapunzel asked, right after Hook had first declared the Duke's motives. She neglected, of course, to mention her doubts about them being followed at all. Griet's caution had been well-founded.

"I was worried about you, Your Highness. When—"

Vladimir bonked him on the head. He winced in extreme pain.

"Er— that is to say," he amended, "— yes."

"Why?" Rapunzel was, more than anything, confused.

A low growl from Vladimir caused the Duke to squeak and jump slightly aside. "To report your doings back to my benefactors."

"What benefactors?"

"I don't know who they are," he confessed hurriedly. "I swear to you, Princess. I only needed the gold. It took far more of my family's wealth than I expected to buy my way up to a position on the Council, and our coffers were—"

Griet's eyes narrowed and she pushed forward. "Let's just dismiss the confession of treason for the moment," she said. "What, exactly, are you being paid to do?"

He cleared his throat, and looked between Griet and Vladimir with increasing nervousness. "To accept delivery of the missive and deliver it to the princess. To make sure she obeyed, even by persuasion or by force, if necessary."

"_You_ put the note on my door?"

"No wonder you were so eager to accept the translating work that night," said Griet. "But how did you manage to get al the way to the Princess's quarters without being stopped?" Griet wondered.

Herrington looked chagrined. "One of the palace maids and I— that is to say—"

"That is to say quite enough," Griet finished, and turned away in disgust. "I will certainly be speaking to the Captain of the Guard about this."

Rapunzel pressed Herrington further. "You don't know who they are? Who gave you the ransom note? The ring?"

"Is that what the message was?" he asked. "I wasn't to look at it."

Griet crossed her arms. "Yeah, right."

A flicker of resignation passed over Herrington's features, and he shrugged. "As to who it was, I don't know. A man. He wore a cloak." His eyes widened as Vladimir stepped closer and loomed. "I swear! I swear! It's the truth!"

"Well, _pickles_," Griet swore. "We know almost nothing we didn't know already, and now we have to figure out what to do with _him_."

"You could leave him with us," said Hook-hand, grinning.

Herrington gulped. "No! I can help— I can help!"

Rapunzel had been going over his words with care. "How are you reporting my movements?"

"By homing pigeon."

"Hmmn." Rapunzel thought about it. She looked at Griet. "Should we follow the pigeons? Or continue to Osspot?"

"If they want you to go to Osspot, then _somebody_ is waiting for you there, one way or another. The pigeons might lead us a long way off our goal."

Rapunzel brightened. "Maybe we could use _them_ for a misdirect." She looked at the Duke. "Congratulations, Your Grace. You've earned yourself a spot on the team. Send another pigeon telling your benefactors that we've decided to go by way of Tallus after all."

Herrington had done so, and they prepared to continue on their way. Rapunzel had been obliged to allow Hook to come too, to "keep an eye" on the wayward Duke, though Rapunzel really felt that she and Griet were more than a match for the foppish noble. Still, she knew that Hook and probably all of the others would follow her anyway if she forbad them, so better to just accept the situation and the extra pair of eyes.

Now they were almost there, and anxiety was creeping up on Rapunzel with alarming intensity. The note had said to come to Osspot and be there within five days. She had done that much. What was she supposed to do when she got there? Stand in the middle of the central square and shout? Wait for someone to blindfold her and take her to Eugene? Was Eugene even going to be here, or was she running willingly into the wide, open arms of a trap that a milkmaid could have avoided?

Fear and uncertainty were making her sick to her stomach, and it only got worse which each mile that closed between them and their destination.

* * *

><p>It was a cold, cloudy afternoon when Eugene, Lila, Pascal, and Connelly finally cantered into the backstreets of Osspot on the three very tired horses they had stolen from Tallus. They found a stable for their horses and quickly got to business.<p>

"Any idea how you're going to find the princess?" asked Connelly.

"Use my eyes," said Eugene. He rubbed absentmindedly at his chin. He hadn't shaved since before their capture in Muntz. Connelly had acquiesced to a shave and a haircut from Tansy back in the capital, but Eugene had declined, hoping that it would be harder for anyone looking to recognize him. "Come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover." He started off.

"Osspot isn't that big," said Lila, hurrying to catch up with him.

"I know, but I want to make sure we cover all of it."

"You think your princess will be able to smell you?"

"No." He grinned. "But I'm hoping someone else might."

Connelly turned to Lila. "Maximus," he said knowingly.

"Who is Maximus?"

"Eugene is his human."

Pascal snickered.

"We have a certain rapport," Eugene put in, quick to patch his dignity.

"I still don't know what you're talking about."

"He's a horse!" said Eugene hurriedly. "A very stubborn animal with much practice in finding me!"

"Not just looking. _Finding_," Connelly emphasized.

"Yeah, yeah."

"You think a _horse_ is going to find you first?"

"I do. And you can tell him I said so, if you like."

She snorted in slight disbelief and shook her head. "All right. If you say so. In the meantime, if we're going to be traipsing around the town willy-nilly I have another idea."

"What's that?"

"Where did you put that letter that Pascal stole?"

* * *

><p>About two miles outside Osspot, Maximus came to a sudden halt, causing Rapunzel to jerk, surprised, in her saddle.<p>

"What is it, boy?" she asked, leaning down to look at him. Maximus looked over his shoulder and smirked. She brightened. "Is it him?"

Maximus whinnied an affirmative.

Rapunzel turned to the others. "We found his trail!" she cried, and hardly needed to prompt Max at all.

"Princess, wait!" Griet called, but it was no use. Before Rapunzel had even managed to turn back fully ahead, Maximus was tearing off down the road.

Osspot was much smaller than she had supposed. She observed lovely, whitewashed homes on either side of tidily arranged streets as Max flew by the outer buildings. He plunged straight into the heart of the town, coming to a dramatic halt square in the center and almost bucking Rapunzel off in his excitement. Immediately, his nose was on the ground, and she took the opportunity to readjust herself in the saddle. She let go of the reins and took two fistfuls of his mane instead. From here on, Max would be doing the driving.

She looked around. There was no building taller than three stories. It was no wonder the kidnappers hadn't bothered giving her specific directions beyond the town itself. It would be hard to conceal anything in Osspot.

Thinking on this, Rapunzel was suddenly conscious of the fact that everyone in the surrounding square was staring at her and Maximus with gaping faces. She slouched slightly in the saddle and belatedly realized that this was probably why Griet had been shouting caution.

The pounding of hooves in the dust came from behind, and Rapunzel turned to see her friend leading the rest of the party, a very cranky look on her face.

"Are you crazy!" Griet hissed, pulling Octavia to a halt beside Maximus, who was still intently sniffing the dirt. "So much for trying to sneak in."

"Sorry," Rapunzel said, sincere.

"Well," Griet said, sniffing and glancing at Maximus, "it's not _entirely_ your fault."

Max's ears twitched at her comment, but he did not break his concentration.

"Anything?" Rapunzel asked him hopefully.

He paused, took one big long sniff, sneezed, and raised his head, peering intently toward the north of the square. Then he whinnied in satisfaction.

Rapunzel looked up.

And there he was.

He was hurrying out into the square from a side shop of some kind, followed closely by a strange woman and Connelly, but she paid them very little mind. Her heart swelled with relief, and she did not know until that moment how truly afraid she had been.

He had already seen her, and his smile caused her heart to swell again, this time with a thrill that would never get old. She jumped down from Maximus's back.

"Eugene!"

* * *

><p>Eugene was sure everyone in town must have heard the racket.<p>

He and Lila and Connelly were in the second of the town's two general mercantiles, trying to match the paper on the letter and see if anyone recognized the signatory, the seal, or anything that would help them track down where it had come from.

"Well," said the curt woman behind the counter, peering at both the paper and the wax carefully through a monocle, "I sell both those things at my store. Whoever he was, he definitely bought them here."

Connelly brightened as she handed the letter back to him. "Unfortunately for you, I get quite a lot of customers buying such everyday sort of articles."

"Oh, come on," said Eugene, leaning forward and intensifying the charm. "A smart, lovely lady such as yourself in a town this small? You know everyone. Besides, I know for a fact that this is not paper— nor even ink for the everyday layman. Whoever bought them has a little extra spending money, and a shrewd businesswoman such as yourself is going to pay attention to the best customers." While he spoke, he pulled a gold coin out of his right pocket and scratched thoughtfully behind his ear.

The woman raised her chin and pursed her lips, eyeing both Eugene and the coin with approving eyes. She lowered the monocle. "Well, as it so happens—" she began.

That was when the distant galloping and swell in the noise of the everyday crowd came drifting in from the open door. As one, Eugene, Connelly, Lila, and the merchant all turned toward it. "What the—" Eugene said, and took a step forward.

"Mommy, mommy! Horsey! _Big_ horsey!"

Connelly's eyes widened and he looked over at Eugene. Eugene's hopeful smile quickly filled his face. "I knew it," he said. He looked back at the merchant, who had overcome her distraction and was back to eyeing the gold coin speculatively. "We... _might_ be back," he said, walking backwards. He pocketed the coin and gave an apologetic shrug. "Come on," he said to the others, and they hurried out the door. They ran in the direction the crowd was looking and pointing, straight to the central square, where their search had begun.

And there she was.

Perched atop the giant warhorse and wearing boots much too big for her, she looked too small to be allowed. She was just leaning up from talking to Max when she looked in his direction and their eyes met.

Something in Rapunzel's expression broke, and he swallowed. He smiled, and she smiled, and then she bounded off of Max's back and barreled toward him, heedless of anyone else around.

"Eugene!"

She was in his arms, and he held her tightly, rocking her back and forth. By mutual, unspoken accord, they were kissing next, so intensely that Eugene belatedly wished he'd taken the trouble to get a good, deep breath first. She smelled like campfires and damp leaves and a sweaty, pompous horse, and most of all, she smelled like _her_.

She took her fill of his mouth with her small, sweet, confident kisses, until finally she pulled away, wrinkling her nose. "Your beard is so tickly!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

Eugene reached up and rubbed the beard, laughing. Then Rapunzel leaned in again and squeezed him as tightly as possible, burying her face against his neck. She exhaled loudly, and they were finally still enough for him to notice that she was trembling.

"Hey," he said, pulling her gently away to look at her face. "Are you all right?"

"I was so worried about you!"

"Same here. But see? I'm fine now. You're fine. Whatever's going on, we beat it. Everything's going to be fine."

From somewhere beyond and above them, a woman cleared her throat.

Eugene looked up, over Rapunzel's shoulder. "Hello, Griet."

"Ambassador," she said. "It's good to see you alive."

His mouth quirked in a half-smile. "Are you sure?"

She cocked her head and pretended to consider. "I suppose," she finally admitted with a reluctant smile. "Might I suggest we take our rendezvous somewhere more private?"

"Ever the practical one," he said.

"She's right, as usual," Rapunzel added with a sigh. She stepped away and slid her hand into his. "Do you know anywhere we can go?"

"There's not much choice in this town. I vote for the nearest tavern."

The two groups made their way together. There were happy reunions and introductions and attempts at tale-telling aplenty. Pascal went leaping into Rapunzel's outstretched hands the moment she turned her attention away from Eugene and she squealed in delight at the sight of him. He began to squeak and chitter at her so rapidly. Eugene decided right away not to bother trying to follow the conversation. Then he almost got the wind knocked out of him twice— once from an enthusiastic chuff from Max and then a ferocious bear hug from the Hook-handed thug of the Snuggly Duckling. Eugene was careful to thank both of them profusely in their assistance to Rapunzel.

Lila was surprisingly shy in meeting everyone, most especially Rapunzel, whom she studied intently whenever she thought nobody was looking. What she was trying to figure out Eugene couldn't decide. Maybe it was just odd to see a princess in such plain clothes, with scuffs on her boots and travel smudges on her face and hands.

"We should leave as soon as possible," said Griet when both parties had finished telling their mutual stories. Connelly nodded firmly at her words. "There is no way our enemies can be ignorant of our reunion here."

Eugene and Rapunzel both shook their heads. "No," Rapunzel asserted. "I want to know what's going on. We should stay." She glanced at Eugene and gestured his agreement. "We won't really be safe otherwise."

"Princess, we'll take you back to your parents, and Connelly and the rest of the guard can work with the Talvanians and determine—"

"No!" Rapunzel stood up, stubbornness all over her face. Eugene tried not to beam too proudly at her. This was a serious situation, after all. "I'm staying. I welcome all your help, but I'm not leaving until I— until _we_ have answers."

Eugene stood up and took her hand. "I'm staying too," he said.

Pascal climbed onto the top of Rapunzel's head and then leapt onto the top of Eugene's, where he stretched as tall as he could and squawked his obvious allegiance.

Lila raised her hand. "I'll help."

Hook raised his hook. "Me too." He jabbed Duke Herrington, who had been looking rather green since two miles outside Osspot, who paled and shot his finely-manicured hand into the air.

Connelly sighed and raised his hand too.

Griet glared at Eugene as if Rapunzel's determination were _his_ fault. She crossed her arms and seemed to be chewing on the inside of her cheeks. "Fine," she finally said, and grit her teeth. "Where do we start?"

Eugene glanced at Lila, who seemed surprised. He looked pointedly at her bag, where they had been keeping the letter from the mysterious Ioan.

"Oh!" she said. "Yes! We were attempting to trace the person who wrote this letter." She pulled it out for all to see. She looked at Eugene. "In fact, we were just maybe making some headway when you lot arrived."

"Then let's go," said Rapunzel, stepping forward."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Wow, there were a lot of scene breaks in this chapter. I hope I caught them all!

Extra-special thanks to my beta, **Grav_, _**for helping polish off the poem into something even better. It is, you may imagine, significant to this story. :-)


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

They split into groups.

Hook-hand took Duke Herrington to try and trace the homing pigeons. Lila and Connelly went to continue asking around town for Ioan Lanser. Rapunzel, Griet, Pascal, and Eugene went back to the mercantile. Rapunzel wasn't letting Eugene out of her sight.

As Eugene put it, the merchant had had ample opportunity to 'jog her fuzzy memory' while he had stepped away with the others. She didn't seem at all concerned that he was returning with an entirely different set of companions from the last time.

"Ioan lives five miles north of the city, just off the old road. He keeps to himself, but he obviously thinks much of his own importance."

"Thank you very much," said Eugene. "And we'll take a couple of these," he added, picking up three heavy frying pans and passing them out. He dropped two more gold coins on the table. "Ladies, shall we?" They exited the shop.

"We're going to trust the skeevy merchant who is way-too-easily easily bribed? Really?" was Griet's first comment as they stepped back out onto the street.

Eugene scowled. "Have you been taking lessons from Max on scathing comments directed at me?"

"How can I steal comments from someone who _doesn't __talk_?" Griet shot back.

"Oh, stop it, both of you," said Rapunzel, though with very little real conviction. She was so happy to have found Eugene safe and whole that she was unusually impervious to his and Griet's sniping. "Let's find Max and track down this Ioan guy."

The afternoon was waning well into evening by the time they gathered up Maximus, Nigellus, and Octavia, and headed north out of town. The unspoken, universal acknowledgement that Eugene was "Maximus's human" meant that Rapunzel assumed the chore of helping Nigellus to pay attention to the road. Eugene was not surprised to see that she had a much easier time of it than he did.

"Shouldn't we wait until morning?" Griet asked, observing how low in the sky the sun was hanging.

"Probably." Eugene looked toward Rapunzel, some yards ahead of them on the road. "If you can talk her into waiting, be my guest."

Griet sighed in resignation.

Eugene spurred Maximus forward and then let him fall into step with Rapunzel and Nigellus.

"So, apart from kidnappings and crazy chases, how are things at home?" he asked.

"Oh, fine. Griet and I started cataloging the library underneath the tower, but we didn't get very far." She told him about the big red book, the Ancient Solaran, and the presence of Mother Gothel's name on the list in the back of it. "If it is her," said Rapunzel, "and not just someone else with the same name, then translating the book might give me an idea of how old she really was."

"Why do you want to know that?" Eugene asked, doing his best to keep his anger in check. If he had his way, Rapunzel would never have a single thought in any way related to Gothel ever again.

Rapunzel seemed troubled by the question, though not with Eugene. "I can't explain it. I have to know— why she knew about my power, where the tower came from, all of it. It's the same feeling I used to have when I saw the lanterns from my window. I won't ever be able to rest until I get my answers, or die trying."

He _really_ didn't like the 'die trying' part of her declaration. "It doesn't matter anymore," Eugene insisted.

"Doesn't it?" She turned to him, and for the first time, he could see how tired she was. "If that letter Pascal stole is any indication, I don't think these people want to get their hands on me because I'm a princess, Eugene."

_She _is_ the __ransom._.

Eugene closed his mouth, frustrated. She was right, of course. "We haven't seen any evidence that you have any residual power," he finally pointed out.

It wasn't strictly true. Though nobody ever spoke about it, there was a mounting observance among the nobles and the palace staff that Rapunzel never got sick, not even during outbreaks. Considering she had never fought off all the childhood diseases that marked the dangerous gauntlet between infancy and adulthood, it was a rather uncomfortable observation, and Eugene was more and more convinced that it wasn't coincidence. Still, any means to transfer such traces to other people seemed to be completely dried up since he'd cut her hair. They _had_ tried some things.

"You and I both know that might not be true," Rapunzel said quietly. She reached up and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "What about you?" she asked, abruptly changing the mood of her conversation from somber to casually curious.

"What about me?" he asked, attempting to match her playful tone.

"Apart from kidnappings and crazy chases, what's it been like, coming back home?"

"Oh, you know," he said, waving, "fond memories, not-so-fond memories... it's all in the past, isn't it?"

"Eugene," she chided.

"Fine, fine. It's been strange," he confessed. "And hard, sometimes." He cleared his throat. "You met Lila, of course."

Rapunzel gave him a look of shrewd regard. "So I did. Were you and she ever—?"

"No!" he quickly jutted in, forcing out a horrid, fake laugh. "I mean—" He ran his hair awkwardly through his hair. "Sort of, yes. Almost. Before I ran away."

"I see." Rapunzel seemed content to let the history end there. "I like your beard," she said instead.

"Really? Should I keep it?"

"No," she said. "It's much too tickly."

He laughed.

Maximus bucked slightly and made a reproachful sound to get Eugene's attention. He looked around. "Ah, this must be the turn-off," he said. On the side of the road was a smooth bolder with a miller's wheel etched on the face.

Rapunzel and Eugene turned their horses down the lane marked by the stone, but were stopped short by a call from Griet.

"Just a moment." She had stopped at the marker. She climbed down off Octavia and stepped closer, bending down to inspect it with a frown.

"What is it?" Rapunzel asked, curious, leading Nigellus back around.

Griet's hand tracked over the stone, down toward the bottom and brushed against something else. "Aha," she said quietly, and straightened. "Have a look at this," she said to Rapunzel.

It was clear that Rapunzel was intrigued, and Eugene no less so, though he did not follow her in dismounting.

"That looks like the sun symbol from the red book," said Rapunzel when she'd gotten close enough. "It's so small. I just assumed it was a chip or a smudge in the rock. How did you think to look for it?" She looked up at Griet, curious.

"I have very sharp eyes," was all the other girl said.

Eugene studied her carefully. There was more to it than that, he was sure of it. Griet knew something she wasn't telling, which opened up a whole new book of questions, the first of which was a sudden, panicked doubt as to her trustworthiness.

"We should get going," he said cautiously.

Griet and Rapunzel got on their horses. "Let's not take the lane, though," said Griet, looking around at the deepening shadows. "I don't like this place."

Wishing Griet's behavior hadn't made him jumpy, Eugene unsheathed his sword and led the way. They followed the winding lane, but from several yards into the foliage alongside it. The horses showed their breeding by moving so cautiously and quietly that anyone hearing them might mistake them for much smaller animals passing by.

Eventually, their path ended in a clearing surrounding a large, sturdy water mill, a stately, multi-storied lodge to go with it, and various outbuildings. By now, it was fully dark. And there were people, with torches.

Griet's face was grim, and she met Eugene's eyes with unspoken solidarity. "Back to the road. Now," she said.

"But—" Rapunzel began.

"_Now_, Princess."

"Come on, Blondie," Eugene urged more gently. "I don't think this is a good party to crash this time."

Rapunzel looked between their faces and the eerie, night-lit scene, then assented with a reluctant nod of her head.

When they were halfway back the way they'd come, Griet suggested they take advantage of the unhindered speed the open lane would give them back to the road, and they broke off into a gallop.

When they reached the road, they found their way blocked by almost two-dozen horses, more riders, and more torches.

Maximus did his best to try and clear the barricade, but it was no use. The other horses were just as strong and there were more of them. Besides, even if he'd found an opening, Nigellus and Octavia probably wouldn't be able to do the same, and Eugene knew that Max would never leave Rapunzel behind.

They were trapped.

Griet and Eugene formed a barrier in front of Rapunzel, both with equal glares on their faces. One of the riders broke away from the line and rode forward.

It was the raven-haired lady from his prison in the capital. "Well, Master Rider. I must say, I am not impressed. I really expected much better from you." She gave him a smug smile and then peered at Rapunzel greedily.

"Take them to the temple."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: I'm going to update twice, because the last four chapters are all pretty short.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

They were bound, blindfolded, and gagged. Then they were put roughly onto horses, each with an escort. Rapunzel shared a saddle with a tall man who didn't speak.

"Be very careful with her," she heard the woman with the beautiful black hair say as they hoisted Rapunzel up. Her caution seemed more appropriate for concern over valuables, not for a person's well-being.

Then they rode for what felt like hours. Rapunzel tried to pay attention to the turns, but it was simply impossible to tell after a few miles. She supposed from the welcoming feel of the wind on her left cheek that they were still heading a general north. It was the best she could manage.

She was sick to her stomach again. This was all her fault. She should have listened to Griet, turned around, and headed straight back home as soon as they'd found Eugene.

She tried to remain calm and focus on the positive, like the fact that Pascal had escaped. It was her only small comfort. Pascal would maybe be able to free Max, who had been secured, and together they could bring help.

They rode for so long that, despite her anxiety, Rapunzel began to doze off in the saddle. She was unsure how much time had passed when they finally came to a halt. The gag tasted wet and stale in her mouth, and the edges of her mouth hurt.

Fully awake again, she strained to listen to their captors, to try and learn anything that would be of help.

"Took you long enough," said a new voice, a man's voice. "It will be dawn in a couple of hours."

"Which is plenty of time," said the dark-haired lady dismissively. She was clearly unconcerned by the man's irritation. "Get to it."

Rapunzel shuddered. She did not like the dark-haired lady one little bit. The gleam of ambition that Rapunzel had seen in her eyes was all too familiar.

"Take that blindfold off," commanded the irritated man. "Carefully, if you please. Remove her bonds as well."

Fingers fumbled at the knot on the back of the knots around Rapunzel's wrists. As soon as her hands were free, she scrambled to remove the gag and the blindfold, coughing and spitting in a way that would make her protocol instructor faint.

"I demand to know what you're doing with us," she said before they could stop her. "I am the Princess of Corona, you have no right—"

"My, my," said the dark-haired lady, stepping forward into the torchlight to smile at her. "It didn't take you very long to learn your airs, did it?"

"I see no reason to observe niceties with people who assault and kidnap me and hurt my friends." Rapunzel looked around and saw that Eugene and Griet were still bound and gagged. "Untie them too."

The dark-haired lady smiled and waved her consent lazily at the henchman escorting Griet and Eugene, as though indulging Rapunzel were an amusing game to pass the time. "It's the least I can do," she said as Griet and Eugene hastily shed their own bindings. "You all made it so easy for us to capture you, after all." She smirked between Eugene and Rapunzel. "But then, who easier to manipulate than young people in love?"

"You filthy—" Eugene began. Griet shot out a hand and squeezed his forearm with a warning. He glowered, but fell silent.

"Did you really think we didn't have spies watching you from the moment you arrived in Osspot, Master Rider? Why bother recapturing you, when you would bring the princess right to us?"

"What do you want with me?" asked Rapunzel.

"Ioan here will be better able to answer that question." The lady looked over.

Rapunzel followed her gaze, and spotted a wan-looking man in elegant, jewel blue robes cut in the style of an apothecary. He was eyeing her with a rather manic greed. She recoiled.

"Yes, yes. Get her down, get her down. Bring her."

Rapunzel was bundled down off the horse and made to follow the unseemly fellow.

"Ioan Lanser, Princess. Scientist, alchemist, and former proctor of the Order of Sol." He gave a skulking half-bow. Rapunzel could not decide if the gesture was to mock her or showed a genuine, if twisted, form of deference.

They were heading up away from the ring of horses and torches, and for the first time Rapunzel took a look at where, exactly, they were. In the dark of pre-dawn, it was difficult to really gauge for sure, but what little she could see appeared to be ancient ruins of some kind, complete with half-collapsed columns and wide stone flagstones with weeds growing up in between. If there ever had been a roof it was long since missing, and the night sky was choked with early morning stars.

"The Order of Sol," she finally thought to blurt. "This temple— it's the ancient northern sun temple that all the old books talk about. Isn't it? How can you be a member of the Order of Sol? They died out centuries ago."

Ioan Lanser just chuckled and did not answer her question. "Yes, yes," he said, beckoning to the guards escorting Rapunzel. "Bring her, bring her. Follow me."

He led them down the length of the ruined temple, past what looked disturbingly like an altar. It was facing full east. Off to a side was a room that was mostly still intact, including a roof. Rapunzel supposed that the whole building must have been covered at one point.

By the time the guard led her into the room, Lanser had already lit three lamps, revealing a crammed but meticulously-ordered workshop of some kind, full of mysterious, ominous instruments.

"Sit down on the work table, if you please, Princess. There isn't much time before dawn. It's the equinox, you know."

Rapunzel stood in place in the doorway, terrified.

One of the guards stepped nearer, and Lanser glanced over. "We didn't bring your friends for our convenience, my dear," he said. "Do you want us to cut open your lover boy's pretty face, hmmn?"

Unhappily, Rapunzel hoisted herself onto the smooth low worktable that dominated one side of the room.

"That's a good girl." Lanser lit one more lamp and then approached her, still holding the box of matches in his hand. "We'll start small, shall we? Hold out your hand."

He struck the match and approached her, an evil smile on his face.

* * *

><p>"What is he doing?" Eugene demanded of the raven-haired woman after Rapunzel and the creepy mad scientist guy had been gone for over half an hour.<p>

"Research," the woman replied.

If Eugene had been a chameleon, he would have turned sheet white. He struggled against his bonds. Once Rapunzel was out of sight, the thugs had tied his and Griet's hands again.

"Research? What kind of research?"

"To determine what might remain of her unique and erstwhile set of powers, Master Rider, as I believe you very well suspect."

"How—?" Eugene began and thought better of it. He cleared his throat. "What do you hope to gain by it?"

Now she turned to him and raised a cool eyebrow. "Playing off your concern now, are we?"

"I told you back in Tallus. I want to know your plan."

"And I didn't tell you then on the outside chance that I lost control of you. Clearly, that caution was not unfounded."

"Well, I think you've got me pretty well cornered this time. I know you're still dying to gloat about it. So, come on. The least you could do is satisfy a dead man's curiosity."

Raven-hair considered, looking around as though to ensure none of her minions were going to try and stop her. Then she returned her attention to Eugene. "I am going to be queen, Master Rider."

Now he was getting somewhere. He made sure to be duly impressed. "Queen you say? Of Talvania?"

"Of Talvania, of Corona, of Skalgard— of the continent, I daresay." She gave an indulgent laugh. "Imagine it. Me. Plain little Beatrice. I came from nothing, you know." She cocked her head as she considered him. "Much like you."

Eugene gave a low whistle. "You and your friends are building an army, I take it?"

"A small one, to be sure. But invincible."

"Invinc—" Eugene's eyes widened as the pieces started to click into place. "You think you can use Rapunzel to give you an undying army?"

Raven-hair waved her hand. "If she was all we had, it would be much too impractical."

"You're right about that," Eugene agreed, his mind racing. "Then, how—"

"They think there will be another flower fall," Griet spoke up suddenly. Raven-hair seemed startled at this conjecture. "They want to study the princess to determine how they can spread its power over many recipients, not just one."

Eugene studied Raven-hair closely. She had regained her composure. "A fine theory," she said.

"A right one," Eugene guessed. "This is a very dangerous plan."

"I don't see why. We lose nothing by trying and failing."

"I'm talking about if you succeed. Sure, you march off in your little continent conquest, but what happens after that? I'm seeing a king-of-the-hill grudge match between a gang of would-be immortals. And if you want to be queen, you'll be the first one knocked off, my lady."

"I haven't risen so far in my life without learning a thing or two about treachery, both in the giving and the receiving. That is a risk I am more than willing to take." Raven-hair glanced up at the sky.

In the distance, Rapunzel screamed.

Eugene jumped in his bonds, his wrists writhing at the ropes. Griet had gone pale. "What is he doing?" he demanded.

"Don't worry, he won't bring her to any permanent harm."

"Says you. When this is over, I make no promises for how I behave."

"When this is over, you may well be dead." She walked up to him and put a hand coyly on his chest, fingers splayed. "Unless you think being king of an empire sounds better than the royal plaything of Corona."

Eugene spit in her face.

Raven hair's lip curled up in disgust and she reached up to wipe the spit away. "Very well. Save your strength, Master Rider. You can't help your princess any time soon."

* * *

><p>Ioan Lanser was utterly insane.<p>

First, he singed her skin with his matches—her fingers, her palms, her forearms, her neck— and took meticulous notes on the measurement and duration of each burn, as well as the time of the experiment.

She fought him. Though it may have seemed pointless, since the thugs were always there to hold her still _enough_, each time she broke free, even a little, caused delays in the madman's experiments. She would not forget that he was very preoccupied with how much time he had left.

She didn't scream until he broke her little finger, as much from her shock as from the pain. "What are you doing?" she shouted then.

The guards made to cover her mouth, but Lanser waved them off. "I am sorry Princess. It is unfortunate that you must suffer in this, but rest assured it is all in the name of science."

He inflected a few small cuts and then, mercifully, seemed to reach a plateau in his research. Rapunzel gritted her teeth and endured carefully planned when would be the best time to kick him in the shins. Hard. Or maybe further up.

After he was finished maiming her, Lanser went through all of the injuries again, clucking over them like a mad hen, and adding to his notes. At times, Rapunzel suspected he forgot she was watching him. He spent an inordinate amount of time examining her hair, even cutting some of it off to look at it under a magnifying instrument of some kind.

"Hmmmn. No noticeable changes." He seemed disappointed. "Now," he said, looking up from his papers, "I understand that before your hair was cut, you used to invoke some kind of incantation to activate the healing power?"

Feeling sullen, Rapunzel did not answer, but apparently he did not actually need confirmation. "I'd like you to sing it now, please."

She bit her tongue.

"My dear, please do not make this any more difficult than it need be."

"It won't work," she said. "You think we didn't try?" She was glad he didn't know about Eugene's death. The two of them had wisely agreed to keep that incident to themselves. Besides, it hadn't worked a second time. They'd tried that too. "The power is gone."

"Gone? Or under some kind of suppression or dormancy, perhaps? I am trying to discover it and I am running out of time. Sing the song, Princess Rapunzel."

Rapunzel clamped her teeth together.

He sighed. "Boris, please go dispose of her consort. As brutally as possible, if you please."

"Argh!" Rapunzel huffed. "Fine!"

_"Flower, gleam and glow.  
>Let your power shine.<br>Make the clock reverse.  
>Bring back what once was mine.<em>

_Heal what has been hurt.  
>Change the fate's design.<br>Save what has been lost.  
>Bring back what once was mine,<em>

_What once was mine."_

She sang it sullenly at first, but by the end, her tone had softened somewhat. As strange and terrifying as her power had been, she missed it awfully at times.

"Interesting. And did you always sing these exact words?"

"Yes."

"No deviations? Can you recall ever singing any other melodies or poems that provoked your powers?"

"No."

"Did you always sing it in the same _way_? The same tempo, the same tone of voice?"

"No."

"Was it necessary to sing the song in its entirety?"

"No." Despite her fear and her anger, Rapunzel was surprised to find herself growing curious about his questions. She hadn't ever really thought it through so carefully. After all, hadn't she often wondered herself just how Gothel had known the precise words to unlock the magic? "Usually it started as soon as I began singing." She looked at her arms and held them out. "Look. See? They haven't healed. The power is gone, and it isn't coming back. Please, let me go."

Lanser chuckled and pulled out his ruler. He began measuring again. "Aha, Princess, but you fail to realize that these wounds are all shrinking at a much faster rate than an ordinary person. In fact, I'd venture a guess that within three hours, you'll never even know they were there.

"It's still too early to tell, of course, but there's something of the sun's gift still inside you."

* * *

><p>"All right," said Raven-hair, looking to the east. "It's almost time. Fetch Lanser and the girl. He's out of time."<p>

There was a general shuffle, and all of the thugs started to trudge deeper into the temple, dragging Griet and Eugene with them.

"They must think the flower is going to appear here," he said lowly to her as they were forced together for the march. "This morning. But how can they know?"

Griet said nothing.

"You know you're being annoyingly quiet at the wrong time," he said.

"Shut up, you," growled one of their guards, and cuffed Eugene in the head.

Griet raised her eyebrows as if to say, '_You __see?_'

They reached the dais part of the temple. The stars were beginning to fade and there was a noticeable dark orange streak on the eastern-most horizon. As they approached, Eugene finally spotted Rapunzel, being shunted between two more guards. Her hands were tied. She looked exhausted, and could only manage a weak smile of assurance when she saw him. Eugene did not feel reassured.

Right behind her was the sinister Ioan Lanser, clutching a sheaf of papers and muttering to himself.

"Well?" demanded Raven-hair as the two parties reunited.

"I'm convinced she retains the power," he said, "though its effects are either suppressed or will fade completely with time. I've cross-referenced all the old documents. There is no precedent for a case like the princess's. The only other thing might be if she were to pass it along to a child in the womb."

"As much as I'm sure Master Rider would like to help us with that strategy," put in Raven-hair wryly, "— it's a bit beyond time constraints."

Eugene glared.

"Still, as long as it's in there somewhere, it's good enough for me. Put her up on the dais."

"Wait. What? What are you doing?" Eugene tried to rush forward, but was quickly beat back. He kicked as hard as he could and earned another cuff in return. This one made him see stars.

"Put me down!" Rapunzel shouted, writhing against her own captors. She broke free and stumbled headlong into Lanser, almost knocking him over.

The thugs hauled Rapunzel up by both arms and began dragging her once more toward the dais. Eugene looked around desperately. "There must be something I can—" He began studying every inch of their surroundings, peering so hard he was sure the dust motes must have felt his panic.

"We're not going to _kill_ her, Master Rider."

"_My __name __is__ Fitzherbert, __not __Rider!_ he finally snapped.

"I like Flynn Rider better."

"I didn't ask you." Behind Raven-hair Rapunzel was still doing her best to fight back. "If not kill her, than what?"

"Ioan here has all of these wonderful books that the Order of Sol left behind. There haven't been many golden flowers over the millennia, but everything the Order learned it took great care to document and preserve. In one particular case, they found that using someone as a focal point who had already reaped the benefits of the sun's gift magnified the effects of the next bequeathal ten-fold."

"A focal point? Focal point to what?"

"Well, we're not waiting around on the sunrise for the aesthetic value."

Eugene whirled around. The sky getting paler by the moment, and the belt of light on the horizon was splitting into bands of inky purple, hot pink, and gray to compliment the burnt orange. He looked at Griet, whose face was hard, immovable. Her eyes flickered nonstop between the eastern sky, the temple, Eugene, Raven-hair, and Rapunzel.

By now, they had tied Rapunzel to a pillar behind the altar part of the dais, upon which the balls of her feet were resting. From here, Eugene could see that her skin was suspiciously red and bruised.

Two more of Raven-hair's men, under Lanser's direction, were hoisting a curious device out of the _floor_ of the temple, another pillar that seemed to have been completely vertically concealed there. They heaved it into the open air and set it in place with braces.

Lanser hurried over to another part of the temple and removed a silk covering from something saucer-shaped, which proved to be the largest piece of convex glass that Eugene had ever seen. It was at least as wide as a banquet platter, fat, heavy, and perfectly round. Reverently, Lanser dusted it off and lifted it into his arms. He carried it over to the second column and fixed the tall henchman waiting there with a poisonous look of warning.

"If you drop this," he warned, "you'll _wish_ I'd killed you."

Shaking a little, the tall henchman took the glass, lifted it up, and carefully placed it into the cradle atop the column that had clearly been intended for exactly that purpose.

Eugene could only suppose that the rising sun, the glass, and Rapunzel were perfectly aligned.

"No!" He demanded. "You'll kill her!"

"She won't die. Not with the sun's protection in her blood," said Lanser over his shoulder.

"You don't know that."

"The records are all conclusive," the other man said acidly.

"Why do you think I took the trouble to have her tested?" asked Raven-hair. "I may need her, but I'm not a monster. Have you made any progress in determining where the flower will sprout, Ioan?"

"Not precisely. But I'm convinced it will be somewhere in the area. I'm hoping the presence of the girl will have attractive properties."

"Mmnn."

"We have only a couple of minutes more, Beatrice."

"Don't call me that," she scowled. The she waved her hands at all of the henchmen. "All right, all of you. Take your places."

The men shed their cloaks and began to surround the nave of the temple, including the two men holding Eugene and Griet. They all turned eagerly to face the sunrise.

Eugene tried to think of anything to say, anything to do, even if he could break free. He wasn't going to give up, but his confidence was waning as fast as the sun was rising.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: And there we have it. The baddies' foul plot revealed!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Waiting had been the hardest thing Rapunzel had ever done. She hadn't given up, through all of Lanser's experiments and questions, watching for anything that might be of help. That was how she noticed Lanser pocketing his small, razor-like knife just before they took her back outside.

When she tripped, she tripped as forcefully as possible right into him. In the ensuing scuffle, no one noticed her reach into his pocket, even with both hands still tied together, and pull the knife smoothly into her clasped fingers.

_And __Griet__ thought __learning __how __to __pick __a __pocket __was __a__ debasing __skill__ for __a__ princess_.

Things got trickier when they untied her in order to fasten her to the pole. She clenched her fists, hoping her handlers would interpret the gesture as defiant. The knife was clutched in her good hand, the flat of the blade against her wrist. The fact that it was not yet fully light had also helped them to not notice.

As soon as they were all away, she got to work, carefully freeing, turning, and working the tiny knife with her fingers. She'd almost dropped it once and had cut at least two fingertips, but she kept working. The pain against her broken finger almost made her weep. When she felt the first of the cords snap, she clutched the knife tightly and waited, making sure to stay calm and not risk dropping it out of excitement. At least the ropes kept her hands from shaking.

While she worked, she thought over everything they had learned about these people, their plans, and her own important role in all of it. It became clearer and clearer the longer she thought about it. There was only one right moment to break away: the moment the first sunbeam broke onto the glass.

She waited, heart pounding, wishing there was some way she could reassure Eugene and Griet.

* * *

><p>Eugene did not notice how close Griet had gotten to him until she whispered right into his ear.<p>

"When I shout, I want you to kick these two as hard as you can."

"What?" he hissed.

She glanced back. "I think I know a way to save her, but I only have one chance. On my signal, fight. And if you can, get behind something."

Eugene's eyes widened and hope flared anew. He nodded, and coiled, his determination gathered.

* * *

><p>When the sun broke through, Rapunzel darted forward, jumped off the dais, and ran.<p>

She wasn't the only one. In the glare, she almost collided with Griet. The two girls stared at each other, shocked, but Griet didn't indulge her surprise for very long.

"Run," was all she said, and dashed around Rapunzel, face set hard. Her arms were still tied behind her back. "Get behind something."

Rapunzel didn't know where she was supposed to run to. The sunlight had hit the glass, and was lighting up the wall behind the dais. She was accosted on all sides by light, and had momentarily lost her bearings.

Shouts of alarm filled the air, the voices of the dark-haired lady, of Lanser, and their associates. Rapunzel knew she needed to so _something_ or risk being captured again.

"Rapunzel!" shouted Eugene. "Run! Hurry!"

She whirled around, squinting, and finally found him, coming towards her. Like Griet, his hands were tied. She rushed to him and seized his arm.

"Griet said to—"

"—I know. Get behind something."

"Any idea why?"

"Let's worry about that later."

"Right."

Rapunzel looked around. "There!" she cried, pointing at the table where Lanser had unveiled the magnifying glass. The silk covering was still lying on top of it.

"What is she doing?" shrieked the voice of the dark-haired lady— Beatrice, Rapunzel recalled from Lanser's address. "Stop her!" Whatever Griet was up to seemed to have, for the moment, consumed the attention of their aggressors, which gave Rapunzel and Eugene enough time to reach the table and duck behind it unhindered.

Once crouched down, Rapunzel took the knife and began to slice away the ropes around Eugene's wrists.

"Aha, that was going to be my next question. Where did you get that?"

"Lanser. He doesn't know it, though."

Eugene thought a moment. "When you almost toppled him?"

"Yup."

"I love you. Did I ever mention that?"

"Same here," said Rapunzel distractedly. She finished freeing Eugene. "I wish they hadn't confiscated our frying pans."

While he rubbed his sore wrists, she turned and looked around desperately for Griet.

Griet was standing alone in the space between the magnifier and the dais, but the henchmen were almost upon her. She was staring determinedly at a spot on the ground. Even as Rapunzel watched, Griet looked up at her advancing foes, her expression was triumphant.

She looked at the ground once more and slammed her foot down _hard_.

Rapunzel gasped as another mechanism came flying up out of the ground next to Griet, so fast that one of the advancing henchmen tripped over and _into_ it, smacking his face painfully.

"What the—" began Eugene.

Griet looked wildly around. "You two better be doing what I said!" she shouted. Then with a monstrous wince, she reached up to the new pillar and pulled on something.

There was a series of tiny whipping sounds, but Rapunzel was not entirely certain what had happened until at least half of the bad guys suddenly stopped and promptly dropped over, still as death.

"Poison tip darts," breathed Eugene.

"But— how did she know about that?"

"Add it to the list," he said, "Come on." He stood up and grabbed the silk covering from the tabletop.

Griet had conquered half their foes in a single strike, which evened up the odds considerably. Rapunzel and Eugene joined the melee. Rapunzel took the sword from the first fallen thug she came across. It was too heavy, so she gave it to Eugene and opted for the next, which was manageable, and still heavy enough that she could bludgeon people to her hearts' content.

Unfortunately, one of the men had the sense to snatch Griet, who was now defenseless, and use her for a human shield.

"Put down the weapon, Princess!" called the dark-haired lady. Rapunzel was annoyed to note that neither she nor Lanser had benefited from one of the poison-tipped darts. "Or I will order your friend's death! The same for you, thief!"

But Rapunzel was fed up taking orders, she slugged another henchman with her sword. So was Eugene, who dispatched another by throwing the silk cloth up in front of his face and tripping him when he was distracted. So was Griet, who stomped on her captor's foot as hard as she could and ducked under his sword as best she could, barreling her way past to freedom.

Whatever might have happened next was cut short by an inhuman squeal of rapture from Lanser. Everyone turned at the sound, and the hair on Rapunzel's neck stood on end.

"The flower! The flower!" he shrieked, pointing.

It took Rapunzel a moment to find it, gleaming brilliantly even through the full onslaught of breaking daylight in a patch of weedy earth and crumbled masonry just west of the dais. She stared, transfixed, as did almost everyone else.

The dark-haired lady quickly abandoned any interest in recapturing the three of them. She and Lanser both raced toward the flower like they were possessed. Rapunzel half expected them to knock heads.

Lanser reached it first. Perceiving his comrade was at his heels, he hovered desperately over the blossom for a moment, and then without much thought, seized one of the petals and tore it free, stuffing it into his mouth. By the time the dark-haired lady got there, he had already swallowed.

"At last," he said. He looked between the lady, the flower, and the dais, considering. Then he leapt up, rushed to the dais, climbed it, and stood before the pillar where they had tied Rapunzel, arms widespread, welcoming the onslaught of the sun.

No one was fighting anymore as everyone watched, breathless. The stone of the dais was unspeakably hot by now. Within moments, Lanser's shoes started to smoke, and just after that, his clothing and his hair.

"I don't think it's working," said Eugene.

Rapunzel knew without a doubt now that Lanser was insane. A sane person would have jumped down if their hair started to smoke, but Lanser grit his teeth and glared, spreading his arms wider.

Then his clothes burst into flame.

There was nothing they could do to help him. It was too hot for anyone to reach, and the fire spread too quickly.

The dark-haired lady, whose hand had been poised over the remainder of the flower, halted, eyes widening in horror. She looked at the flower, lowered her hand, and stepped back, unsure.

That was when Connelly and the others finally found them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: So I only just realized that FF.N was uploading my documents with italicized words smashed together. I'll have to go through and edit all of the other chapters, but I apologize for the bad formatting heretofore.

Well, that was the big climax What is up with Griet, eh? What do you say we find out? ;-)


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

After Lanser had combusted, after Connelly, Lila, and Hook had shown up with Pascal— along with a full contingent of Coronan Royal Guard who had caught up with Rapunzel's trail in Osspot— and after the last of the bad guys had been captured and neutralized, it was all that Rapunzel and Eugene could do not to veritably pummel Griet with questions.

Her answer surprised them both.

"I'm a member of the Order of Sol too."

"The Order of Sol?" Rapunzel repeated. "Like Lanser?"

Griet's expression darkened. "No. Not like Lanser. He was a dissident, a traitor. A rogue." She paused, then, "Much like your adoptive mother."

Rapunzel exchanged an incredulous look with Eugene. "How come he didn't recognize you?"

Griet shrugged. "We're a very secretive secret society. The only other member I know by sight is my father."

"Hang on," Eugene pressed. "How is this order even still around?"

"Through centuries of utmost secrecy and meticulous attention to tradition."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"The Order exists for the preservation of the good, my lady, but as we've seen, the secrets we safeguard are dangerous in the wrong hands. If I'd had my way, you'd never have known."

"How did you know about that dart thing?"

"Ah. Lucky for me, it was still working." For the first time all morning, Griet looked chagrined. She glanced over at Rapunzel, shamefaced. "I— uh— read about it in the big red book."

"What? You can read it?"

"Yes, I can. And did. All of it. Usually when you were busy with elocution."

Rapunzel crossed her arms. "All those hours trying to figure out what was a verb and what was a noun, and the whole time you were standing right there!"

Griet snickered. "Yes, that was pretty torturously hilarious."

"You're lucky you saved our lives, or I might just dismiss you for the indecency of it. And you call yourself my friend!"

"What else do you know?" asked Eugene. "Those experiments that Lanser was performing on Rapunzel— the past records he was referring to— do you know anything about them?"

"The Order is scattered, and like any organization we have our share of power play. There's far less information sharing than we would like, my father most especially. I don't have all of the answers, but—"

"— but what?"

"There was one important thing that Lanser and his like always disregard."

She turned to face the dais, her expression pensive. Rapunzel and Eugene waited.

"No matter how many experiments you do or notes you take or theories you have, when it's all said and done we really don't understand the sun's gift. There's more to it than science. Lanser thought he could tap into your power with the right combination of words or sounds or potions. He never stopped to consider that every time your hair glowed it was because _you_wanted it to. I think you could have sung about beans and rye and it still would have worked, as long as it was your intention to use your power. The song is just one of our old traditions. Who knows when it was first written?"

"You're saying that part of it is belief?" asked Eugene.

Griet nodded, looking around. "This temple," she said, "was built as a focal point for the sun, yes— there is a dais for each equinox and each solstice—but it's also an acknowledgment."

"Of?"

"That there's some force beyond our comprehension, some force for _good_. A true initiate of the Order acknowledges and accepts that mystery."

"How did they know about the flower?"

Griet smiled. "I don't know how he knew it would come _here_, but I do know about the timing." She turned and pointed to the wall behind the dais. "Look closely, Fitzherbert. You might find something to your interest, if you were paying attention."

Eugene frowned and stepped closer.

"That's a star chart," said Rapunzel, who was also peering at the reliefs, "and a lunar chart, and— a calendar. Of lunar eclipses." She took a step forward. "This is the Crustacean, and that is the Royal Hand. One happened just before the eclipse and the other just after, in a year that there _is_ an eclipse."

"A glove," Eugene said, stunned. "Not the Royal Hand, the Glove. And the Crustacean is the Crab." He looked at Rapunzel. "Was there a lunar eclipse this year?"

Rapunzel cocked her head. "Yes."

Eugene hurried nearer and pointed at each part of the wall in turn. "It's the story from the folk song! The eclipse represents the abduction of the moon. It follows closely after the appearance of the Crab in the sky, and then after that comes the Royal Hand, like the queen leaving her glove. It's so simple."

"Very good, Fitzherbert. I'm impressed."

"I spent a lot of time with that dumb song," he said.

"The song was a means for my people to preserve the knowledge in a way that would disguise what it truly was, doubly easy when the names of the constellations were changed. It is a very important and much-revered piece of oral tradition, so I'll thank you not to call it dumb again."

"I can't believe you kept all of this a secret," said Rapunzel.

Griet gave a worried sigh. "For the moment, I'm more concerned with _that_." She turned and gestured to the remains of the golden flower. "If it didn't violate the most sacred purpose of the Order, I'd be tempted to just destroy it and be done."

"But it could help so many people!" said Rapunzel, horrified.

"It could start a war," said Eugene. He and Griet exchanged grim, knowing expressions.

"For now, we should keep it a secret, at least," said Griet. "We'll have to move it somewhere safe, but not in Corona. If we take it out of Talvania, there could be very troublesome consequences in the future."

Rapunzel pondered the problem, but it was Eugene who had the answer.

"I know where we can hide it."

* * *

><p>It took considerable doing to transport the flower safely to Muntz without killing it and without being detected. They planted it in the back corner of the tiny, walled yard behind Braddock's bakery.<p>

Rapunzel waited outside the bakery door, happy to feel peace again after the last few days of fear, suspense, and exhaustion. It was cool outside, but very sunny. Some ways off, Connelly and Griet were waiting with the horses. She had commanded the rest of the guard to go ahead to the capital of Talvania, escorting the dark-haired lady and the other captives, and wait for them. As soon as she and Eugene were finished here, they would follow and hopefully be able to convince the king and queen that Eugene's tardiness had been unintentional.

After seeing Eugene safely settled, she would have to return home. She had until then to decide how much to tell her mother and father. It would be best to tell them everything, she knew, and she probably would, but she found herself in the strange position of sympathizing with Griet's secret, or rather, the burden of keeping it. Rapunzel had only seen the world outside for a little while, and even she could appreciate the potential calamities that could arise from knowledge of the flower's presence in the world. Her mother admitted that finding the first one had been nothing short of miraculous.

At least now she wouldn't have any trouble interpreting all of the books in the secret archive. For obvious reasons, Duke Herrington would no longer be able to help her.

The bell on the bakery door tinkled as someone came out. It was Lila.

"They're still talking," she said. "They could be in there all day." She rolled her eyes.

"It's okay. We're not in a hurry."

"I wanted to thank you. For taking care of Eugene. And I don't mean just coming to rescue him."

"You all took care of that part," Rapunzel said with a smile.

Lila gave a proud smile of her own. "We did do a pretty great job, didn't we?"

"I understand there were explosions."

"Yes, well. That's life with Rhodri." Lila hesitated. "I was jealous of you at first. Why would I have ever expected him to— well, you're a princess. It's hard to measure up to that."

"We didn't know I was a princess when we fell in love," Rapunzel pointed out.

"I know. That doesn't really help much." She sighed. "Anyway, it's hard to not like you, now I've met you. I'm glad. It's time for me to move on."

"Well, you're always welcome in Corona."

"Thank you, princess."

The door opened again, and this time both Braddock and Eugene came out, laughing heartily.

Braddock smiled his giant smile when he saw Rapunzel. "Well, now it's time to say goodbye, little miss." He stepped over and picked her up in a giant hug. "You take care of this one, you hear? Keep him in line."

"I'll do my best."

"Goodbye, Braddock," said Eugene, extending a hand. "Lila. Thank you both. You're taking a risk, but I know we can count on you. I promise it won't be long before we decide what to do."

"I'll hold you to that."

They made one last round of goodbyes, and Braddock and Lila went back into the shop. Eugene took Rapunzel's hand, and together they started walking slowly toward their party.

"Are you still nervous?" Rapunzel asked.

"About the job?"

"Yes. You were very fidgety about it before you left home, as I recall."

Eugene halted, considering. "Surprisingly... no. Not anymore."

She blinked. "Really? Why?"

He scratched behind his head. "I've been thinking about it a lot— what's been bothering me since we got together, when I realized that having a place in your life would come with a certain_ caliber_ of living." Eugene shook his head, smiling. "Seriously, do you know how intimidating it is to be in love with you? You're ridiculously smart, crazy talented, you inspire _everyone_, you get hardened criminals to eat out of your hand... _and_ you're going to use all of that to run a kingdom someday. I don't know, I guess I was just feeling this enormous pressure to figure out a way to contribute or they'd kick me out to the alleys. Create a better economic plan, Fitzherbert! Invent something! Discover a continent! Negotiate a peace treaty!"

"Eugene, I put enough pressure on _myself_ for those sorts of things. I would never impose it on you."

"It's all right. I had a breakthrough."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He laughed. "It's so simple. It's just the same as it would have been if we were living in a sod house by the river and salting fish every winter. I just want to be wherever you are and make your way easier."

Rapunzel smiled.

He took both of her hands. "Thinking about what to do with the flower sort of summed it up for me. I'm so afraid it could tear us down, yet you want to use it to better the world. And if we_ don't_ do that, isn't it just a sad waste?"

"I think so."

"So how about this? You go out there and better the world." He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. "And I'll watch your back."

Rapunzel flushed from head to toe. "Agreed." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him in plain sight of everyone. Again. Griet would probably have some kind of reprimand on the subject when they got home.

But Rapunzel didn't care.

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Grr, I had already started writing this and then I hit something mysterious on my keyboard and lost it all...

Anyway, there you have it! The story in full. Writing it has certainly been a fun adventure. On of the challenges was keeping it moving along so quickly. Ordinarily my writing tends to be a little more drawn out, with more description, internalization, and more obstacles for the plot, but in this case I was deliberately trying to make it feel like a 90-minute animated movie in its pacing- a true sequel to Tangled.

Obviously, there is opportunity for continuing adventures here, but fair warning- I probably won't ever write them. I kind of feel like I scratched an itch getting this story out of my system, and my attentions are turned once more wholeheartedly to my original writing projects.

I hope you all enjoyed!


End file.
